


Vocaloid: Reborn Rivalry

by When_The_Cicadas_Die



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Angst and Drama, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, High School, Love/Hate, M/M, Magic, Rare Pairings, Reincarnation, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2020-06-23 17:40:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 110,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19706266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/When_The_Cicadas_Die/pseuds/When_The_Cicadas_Die
Summary: Kaito Shion is an average sixteen year old student, who's trying his best to keep his head low and get through school with his three closest friends, avoiding drama where possible. He attends Oak Valley High, where students pride themselves on loyalty, friendship and kindness. Every two years, the school hosts Talent Trials: a fun event where students from their neighbouring (and rival!) school Mahogany Creek Academy come over and stay for three days. Mahogany Creek students pride themselves in amazing grades, hardcore academics and competitiveness. Every two years, the students leave Oak Valley in the dust. But this year, Kaito finds himself dragged into a fearsome rivalry thanks to his friends, when he'd rather not be involved at all.Kaito bumps into Gakupo Kamui on the first day of the Talent Trials. The cold-hearted, mysterious purple haired boy feels oddly familiar to Kaito, but he's never met Gakupo in his life. At least, they haven't met in this life yet. He soon realises there's something a lot more serious going on than petty rivalry between two schools.





	1. Prologue - Simpler Times

_Prologue – Simpler Times_

“Do you… believe in reincarnation?”

The sound of laughter reached my ears in an instant. Normally, that sound would be so sweet and would melt my heart the minute I heard it. But this time, it was sort of mocking, as if I’d just told a far-fetched joke.

My eyebrows furrowed, a pout pulling at my lips. “I go out of my way to open up to you, and this is the reaction I get,” I huffed, folding my arms over my chest.

The slightly older purple haired male sat opposite me wiped the corner of his eye. He let out a deep sigh, his laughter finally settling down. He narrowed his glance at me, straining his features as if he were studying my face. “Oh… you’re being serious.”

I groaned through gritted teeth, the urge to smack him on the leg becoming more tempting with each second that passed. I remained silent, however. I was raised with the rule: _if one has nothing nice to say, one mustn’t say anything at all._ I intended to stick to that, despite how much it pained me to not give him a good telling off.

“Hrmm...” He rubbed at the back of his neck, leaning back and relaxing his strained features. This was something that required him to actually use his brain for once.

“Take your time. I know it’s a lot of thinking for one day...” Those words slipped out on their own. My eyes widened slightly as soon as I realised that wasn’t an inner thought.

“Wow!” He was shocked at first, until a grin broke out on his face. “That’s no way to talk to your subjects, Your Highness.” A snicker passed his lips.

“It was an accident,” I casually answered, averting his teasing eyes. “It was only meant to be in my head.”

“Still, how rude of you to think that way of your people...” he tutted, still snickering away. “You’ve a long way to go ‘til you’re King, it seems.”

“Pssh...” I scoffed, rolling my eyes lightly. I turned my glance back to him – I was unable to resist stealing a peek into his light blue, ocean-like eyes. Beautiful. I shook my head to snap out of admiration mode. “Can you just answer my question, anyway?”

He probably realised I was gawking right at him, but he shrugged it off and didn’t say a word about it. Instead, he just sighed in reluctance. “Well, uh… Now that I’m really thinking about it, I guess I’d like to believe, deep down. Y’know, if it meant we’d have a chance to meet again under different circumstances...”

I lowered my eyes to the grass beneath my legs, and noticed that his fingertips were slowly brushing up and down through the bright green blades. I knew what he was implying just by saying that. I sighed softly through my nose, reaching my hand forward and sliding my fingers through his; stopping his movements in his tracks.

When I slowly looked back up, I saw him staring right at me. There was a subtle blush on his cheeks – although barely visible from the sun beating down on us. Had it been as hot as it is right now, all day…? Just gazing into each other’s eyes was making me feel things I wasn’t experienced with at all. I felt his grip tighten on my hand ever so slightly. “I, uh...”

“Imagine how cool it’d be if we were reborn and set in the same position… No power hanging over one of our heads, no disadvantages dragging the other down...” The way he spoke from the heart made me feel immense guilt, even though we had no control over the situations we were born into.

I grabbed his hand tighter than before, squeezing his fingers to let him know how much I wished for that, too. Even though we were sitting close enough already, I shuffled forward a little more, so that our knees were now touching. I didn’t know exactly what to say, since there was so much that I _could_ say. Everything in my mind was a sort of blur at present. I chose to simply agree with him. “Yeah. Perhaps we’ll be born into a time that’s accepting of us, as well. Imagine that, huh? No power, no disadvantages, and acceptance.”

“Aha...” he lightly chuckled. “Oh, if only. This will have to do for now, though.” He vaguely gestured to the many miles of grassland surrounding us. Our only escape.

I couldn’t help but idly scan my eyes across the area. Row after row of orange, red, pink and so many more coloured flowers greeted me. I scoffed without thinking, “I certainly won’t miss this life. Our next one ought to be much better.”

“Well, sorry to burst the positive bubble and all, Prince Charming...” The purple haired male started, his words trailing off into a small laugh. Oh, I wish he wouldn’t call me that. It was such an obnoxious, mocking nickname. “But we’re only sixteen, remember? Uh, technically I’m seventeen, but it’s the same thing. We got one hell of a long life ahead of us before we croak.”

I loosened my hand from his, as it was starting to grow a bit sticky and kind of disgusting. It was far too hot out to hold hands for a long period of time. I shook my head at his blunt way of talking, propping my hands behind me onto the grass and leaning back. “Please, don’t be so crude all the time,” I grumbled, throwing my head back and letting my eyes slip shut for a moment as I took in the sun. In a more relaxed tone, I casually continued. “You and I are worlds apart, aren’t we? How we’re on the same planet to begin with is beyond me.”

I didn’t even have to open my eyes to know he’d be grinning away. “I crash landed here with my family when I was but a young boy. Remember? You’re lucky I’m here at all.”

I opened my eyes a couple of seconds later, being blessed by the sight of those lovely blue eyes and long purple hair which fell freely over his shoulders. I always told him he should get a haircut or something but he refused each time. So I’ve learned to accept his strange preferences and actually started to love that about him. And he was right. I was lucky he came into my life in the first place. “Hmm...” I hummed in agreement, reaching my hands out to take hold of his face. I squished his cheeks with a big grin slapped across my features.

“Ah-?” His eyes widened in confusion, with a hint of happiness in there somewhere.

“I am very lucky indeed.” I leaned forward, getting close enough to gently press my lips onto his forehead. I held the kiss for a few short and sweet seconds before sitting back. I dropped one hand down to hold his waist, and kept the other on his cheek.

“Mm...” His eyelids slipped shut, his brows raising slightly. A look of admiration crossed his face; it was adorable to witness.

“So, what kind of life would you want, if we were reborn?” I asked after a quick silence. I was curious to get a sneak peek into his mind.

“Oh?” His eyes fluttered open, and he paused to think. “Well… I guess I’d like to know what school life is all about. I’ve always dreamed of attending school. But obviously, I...”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, nodding. Now that he mentioned it, if I had a chance at a normal life, I’d probably want to attend school too. “It’s like the perfect place – no power. Nothing like that. We’d be...”

“Normal?” He finished my sentence in a hushed tone, a shy smile pulling at his lips.

I stroked at his cheek with my thumb, gripping his waist a bit more to pull him closer. “One day, my love. I know it’s wishful thinking, but...” I wasn’t sure how to continue that. It was a bizarre concept, one that may never come true. And even if we were somehow reborn, we would know nothing of it. It was the only thing that kept me strong during my hard days as prince, though.

“I’m starting to believe just a bit more because of you,” he chuckled. That was a first. He wasn’t usually sappy and emotional like this. It was a nice treat to witness.

“Well then. Let’s try to be positive about it, hmm?” I raised a brow at him, smirking ever so slightly. It went against all I had been raised with to act like a mischievous, no-good teenager off the streets… But denying this terrible life and instead banking on and accepting a distant wish was incredibly thrilling. I felt normal when I was with him.

“Even if our memories get wiped?” He looked back into my eyes, hesitant to fully believe as much as I did.

“I’ll never truly forget you,” I said. “You think I could ever forget someone like you? Someone so special...” I felt the heat from his cheeks against my palm as I told him that.

“Then I suppose it’s settled.” Although he was _obviously_ madly in love with me and he appreciated every second we spent together – okay, maybe not that much – he kept his cool and remained down to earth. He never let his embarrassment show too much.

I was done talking, anyway. I leaned forward and closed the gap between our lips, shutting my eyes. I blocked out the world around us and focused on only him, feeling a spark course through my veins when he wrapped his arms around the back of my neck and pulled me closer to him. Without thinking, I shifted myself onto my knees and crawled forward so that hardly any space remained between our bodies.

“Mmh…” He sighed softly against my lips, which only tempted me further to continue. I felt myself being pulled down a bit – I pulled away to take a breath for a split second, and upon opening my eyes, saw him lying down against the grass with my body pinning him in place. “I have some time before I have to get back to work at His Majesty’s palace.” He winked in a cunning manner at me, and before I could even react to that awful flirting, he slipped a hand up, pushing his fingers through my hair and joined our lips once more.

**...**


	2. Chapter One - Talent Trials

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe there's a problem with trying to push up new stories on AO3 right now so you probably won't be getting this content fresh off the press, but I guess the good news is whenever this fic gets approved, you'll all have one or two chapters' worth of content to read. :)

_Chapter One: Talent Trials_

The whooshing of the river and whistling of the birds makes me feel relaxed, to the point where I nearly doze off. My arms are folded over my chest and my eyes are lightly shut. I can feel the cool wind blowing through my hair. It’s a nice start to the week after a hectic weekend. I’m not surprised I’m still so exhausted.

The scent of freshly baked goods catches my nose. My eyes open wide as I realise I almost fell asleep right out in the open. Blinking rapidly to wake up properly, I turn my head to the left and see a teal-haired girl walking toward me with two brown bags clutched in her hands.

She softly giggles when she sits down beside me on the bench. The tall trees and freshly cut grass surrounds us; the water rushes downward, and the campus is just behind us. “You weren’t sleeping again, were you?”

“N-No...” I awkwardly laugh, attempting to play it cool. But my tired voice breaks ever so slightly, which is a dead give away. I rub at the back of my neck with a sigh. “Can you blame me?” I raise a brow at her.

“Mm...” she thoughtfully hums, passing one of the bags to me. “Not really… Neru-chan sure knows how to party hard.”

“I’m so glad you’re not a hell-raiser like she is, Mi-chan.” I smirk playfully at her, nudging her with my elbow.

“Ahah… Kaito-kun...” she giggles along with me, a grin tugging at her lips as she opens her bag.

This gorgeous girl right here – who must be insane to stick around with someone like me – is Miku Hatsune. I scan my eyes over her features now that we’re sitting next to one another, noticing she’s wearing her hair differently than usual today. Instead of her signature long pigtails, she’s tied her hair into two cute little buns, her fringe hanging down both sides of her face. I still can’t believe we’ve been together for almost a year already. I feel like I’ve known her forever.

I dig into the paper bag she handed me, pulling out the still warm croissant. “You’re such an angel. You didn’t have to buy breakfast for me,” I say, before taking a bite into the divine pastry. The buttery taste practically melts in my mouth, and a look of nothing but bliss and appreciation crosses my features.

“Don’t worry about it. I figured you wouldn’t want to eat in the noisy hall after the weekend we had...” Miku replies, with a warm smile.

“Hmm, don’t remind me,” I say, half teasing. To be honest, considering I’m only sixteen, I shouldn’t be drinking at all – neither should Miku or our other two friends. But, well, Neru has always been the irresponsible, disobedient type. Rules are meant to be broken, she always says. Besides, her excuse is that it’s ‘slightly more acceptable’ as it was her seventeenth birthday party.

“Anyway… I also figured you’d want some peace and quiet before we’re called into the assembly hall,” Miku continues. I narrow my eyes at her in slight confusion as she mentions the assembly hall. I can’t remember what the assembly is for at all. She puffs her cheeks out in disappointment the second our eyes meet. “Don’t tell me you forgot that, as well.”

“Uh, maybe just a bit,” I admit, with a bashful grin. My memory has always been awful like this. It doesn’t help that I’m hungover. Ugh, I’m never drinking again.

“The students from Mahogany Creek are coming over-”

“Oh god, not those stuck up assholes...” I rudely interrupt her, unable to stop myself from groaning at the mere thought of that school. She glares at me, and I gulp. “Sorry, sorry.” I know what they’re coming over for, anyway.

“For the Talent Trials. But from the look on your face, you already caught on.” She folds an arm over her chest, finishing up her breakfast.

“You know, I was doing perfectly fine. I had forgot all about their miserable existence up until about a minute ago,” I sigh. Perhaps a bit dramatic of me but I, along with many other students here at Oak Valley, despise the Mahogany Creek kids.

Miku casually shrugs, and when she speaks, she attempts to stay neutral. “Y’know, if everyone just tried a little harder to get along...”

“Oh, please don’t start.” This time, nothing about my interruption is accidental – I hold my hand up to stop her in her tracks, with a roll of my eyes. What I love about Miku is how she always tries to keep the peace, but with Mahogany Creek, there is no peace; therefore, no point in trying to play nice with them. “Are you forgetting about that one dickhead who shoved my head into a toilet when we were twelve?”

I see Miku bite down on her lower lip. For a split second I notice that she’s trying her best to conceal a laugh. How cruel, to think of laughing at my shortcomings. “O-Of course I haven’t forgot.”

“So, you see my point,” I continue, deciding to ignore the fact that she’s hiding a smirk. I’d be laughing too if it had happened to someone else. Before complaining some more about those rich kids, I stuff the rest of my breakfast into my mouth, chewing in annoyance.

“At least the Talent Trials itself is usually fun. It gives us a chance to mess around and forget about school for a while,” Miku says, with a light sigh. She leans back against the bench, stretching her legs out.

I swallow the rest of that bite and crumple the paper bag up into a ball. “I suppose so,” I shrug, gently tossing the paper ball up and down. “I completely forgot it was starting today, though. This is just great.” I’m not in the best of moods to deal with those kids right now.

Mahogany Creek Academy… Just the name makes me shudder. They’re classed as our ‘sister school’ since there are only a few miles between us. We’re on one end of the river, they’re on the other. Their mahogany trees grow on our campus, our oak trees grow on theirs. We _should_ all be close friends… I think we were, up until maybe twenty or so years ago. I’ve seen the photos hung up in the school halls going back a few decades. Everyone looked so close, but somewhere down the line, a rivalry was born. The rest is history from there. The Talent Trials became a shadow of what it once was – now it’s nothing but fierce competition, which always results in our school getting our asses handed to us. Mahogany Creek kids go hardcore when it comes to the set of games, whereas we usually don’t take it so seriously and instead have fun.

“Oh...” Miku mumbles in surprise, after a bit of silence. I look to her, curious. She’s just pulled her phone from one of her pockets and is currently looking down at the screen. Her face twists into a grimace once a couple of moments pass.

“What is it?” I wonder.

“Our dear friend Neru-chan has informed me that she and Dell-kun have come up with a game plan for today,” she answers, in a sickly sweet tone when she refers to Neru.

“Oh, no...” I grumble, pinching the bridge of my nose. I have no way of knowing what that mischievous pair will come up with, but I do know it won’t be pretty. I can feel my head starting to throb a bit harder from the sheer frustration. Today isn’t going to be a good day.

“Looks like we better head to the assembly hall. Neru-chan and Dell-kun arrived there early, and it seems we’re keeping them waiting.” Miku half-heartedly laughs, pulling herself up from the bench and stuffing her phone back into her pocket.

“Right now?” I raise a brow, staring up at her with tired eyes. I can’t exactly be bothered to move _right this second._ Unfortunately, Miku gives me a nod. “Uuugh...”

“C’mon, Kaito-kun. You got this!” Miku grins brightly at me. Her motivating words kind of work on me. Not much, but still.

I force myself onto my feet. “Yeah, yeah. I got this,” I mutter. I clench the paper ball in my fist, squashing it down to a slightly smaller size, before tossing it toward the nearby trash can. It just barely lands inside. “Haha… see, I can totally win when it comes to the sports section.”

“Pssh...” Miku playfully rolls her eyes at me, before walking toward the trash can and simply dropping her paper bag inside. “How hard was it to just walk up and drop it in, hmm?”

“Incredibly,” I immediately fire back in the same teasing tone as her, sticking my arm out for her to take. “Let me be lazy every once in a while, alright?”

“Sometimes I get the feeling you probably had it super easy in a past life,” Miku says, linking her arm through mine.

“Oh, a past life, huh?” The concept is a bit confusing to wrap my head around, but I’m still intrigued nevertheless. Miku and I begin to walk away from the river and head up toward Oak Valley High’s esteemed campus. The view on the way there is just as beautiful as the trees that surrounded us further back.

“It’s a strange thought, I know. But sometimes you seem so laid-back and just a little bit lazy… Like it carried through from a previous life.” Miku and I have never really had this kind of talk before – or any kind of serious talk at all, now that I think about it. I wonder what brought this on.

“I didn’t know you were so into the whole past life thing,” I thoughtfully hum.

“Well, if we get some time to ourselves tonight, we can talk all about it,” Miku suggests, giving a light smile.

Sure, if I survive the first day of the Talent Trials.

…

When Miku and I step into the assembly hall, it’s mostly empty, as the assembly won’t be starting for another fifteen or twenty minutes. I glance around, feeling relieved that the few bad apples of our year group are nowhere to be seen for now.

Everyone at Oak High gets along well – except for a small few who go out of their way to make life miserable for us. I think they enrolled in the wrong school. We know to stay away from them, although sometimes they come to us. I can tell that with the Talent Trials starting today, they’re going to work on standing out the most and try to beat Mahogany Creek. To that I say, good fuckin’ luck.

When we take a few steps into the hall, we look around to figure out where they’re seated. Miku doesn’t spot them – but I do. I catch sight of a girl with dark blonde hair frantically waving her arms about to attract our attention. She does so in the most humiliating way possible. Sitting beside her at the back row of bleachers is a male with silver hair. I let out a heavy sigh, nudging Miku and pointing toward our two friends.

“Oh, dear. Neru-chan is making a fool of herself again,” she says in a low voice to me, through gritted teeth.

“Just smile and wave,” I hiss, plastering on a wide grin as though I’m happy to see the two. Don’t get me wrong, I love Neru and Dell, except for how over the top and eccentric they are. Miku pulls a forced joyful expression too, and we start walking up the steps to the back row of seats.

I let Miku slide in next to Dell; Neru always loves grabbing the corner seat with the armrest. I set myself down beside Miku after that, and take in a breath to prepare me for their loud voices. My throbbing head regrets this already.

“Yoooo, Kai-kun! How are you on this lovely morning?” Neru leans forward, propping her elbows onto her knees, her palms resting on her face.

“Dude, you look totally hungover,” the silver-haired boy chimes in, with a cheeky smirk. Thanks for the reminder. “If Principal Hiyama sees you like that, your ass is in big trouble.”

“And just how the hell are you so bright and cheery after that mess last night?” I direct my glare to Neru, narrowing my eyes.

“I think she’s used to it,” Miku says for her, with a giggle.

“I’m a pro, duh.” Neru scoffs, without batting an eyelid.

“And you know, you could’ve been smart like Miku-chan...” Dell coughs, darting his eyes between my girlfriend and me. When I turn to look at her, she has an innocent smile on her face. Oh, I get it. He’s telling me I shouldn’t have touched any alcohol at all last night.

“Poor Kaito-kun thinks he can handle it,” Miku responds in my place, before softly patting the top of my head. Neru and Dell stifle their laughter at the pitiable sight. That familiar warmth creeps up on my cheeks. Miku ruffles my hair before lowering her hand. “Anyway, Neru-chan. What did you want to meet us for?”

“Glad you asked!” Neru’s gruff, tomboyish personality really stands out when she acts this way. That’s when I know some competitive stuff is gonna come out of her mouth. She exchanges glances with Dell, who nods at her. “You guys know the Talent Trials are starting today, right?”

“Mhm~” Miku hums, in a sing-song tone, following along.

I, on the other hand, slowly nod. The anticipation is killing me.

“Dell and I have decided to rally together as many students as possible to go all out for this year’s games!” Neru pounds a fist against her palm, an almost scary, determined look on her face. Come to think of it, Neru and Dell do a lot of things together, and are really similar in terms of personality… Yet they aren’t a couple. The way they act sometimes, it’s hard to remember that they’re only friends.

That’s beside the point though. I can’t believe what I’m currently hearing. Did she really just say she wants to try and _beat_ the students of Mahogany Creek Academy?!

Miku and I practically drop our jaws upon hearing such nonsense. Well, naturally my reaction is far more dramatic and comical than my girlfriend, but we’re still both at a loss for words as the pair beam proudly.

“Wow, it’s a really good idea! They’re speechless!” The blonde snorts, all giddy.

Dell cocks his head to the side. His eyes dig into Miku and I. “Uhhh… Neru-chan, I don’t think it’s a good kind of speechless.”

I shake my head frantically, snapping out of my state of disbelief to scold the two. “Hey now, I don’t want any part of this…! I _enjoy_ being low-key – I _enjoy_ not taking part in the Talent Trials because it makes us open targets to those stuck up rich kids! Why on earth do you think this could ever be a good idea?”

“Ah...” Miku whispers. She must be able to tell how heated I’m getting. I’ve done all I can to avoid being the target of drama amongst both students here at home, and those at Mahogany Creek. I feel a bit more at ease when she rests her hand on top of mine.

“Because we totally gotta show those rich kids that we aren’t complete pushovers, Kai-kun! Don’t you think we should show ‘em what we got? That way they’ll back off when it’s time for the next event in two years!” Neru tries her best to convince me. Part of me is in agreement with her sentiment – another part of me is screaming to stay the hell out of it.

“I also think it’s time we step out of our comfort zone. I’m sick of those bullies, you know?” Dell adds, letting out a huff.

“But it’s extremely comfy in my current zone,” I pout. I hate change. I don’t think I can face standing up against those asshole kids – especially since there’s the risk of making them even more pissed off at us.

“I, uhh...” Miku flicks her glance between all three of us. Poor girl, she hates this intense atmosphere. She probably doesn’t know who to side with. “I-I think it’d be a good start to try and make friends with them, at least…!”

My brow raises at that absurd statement. I’m pretty sure I’ve stated many times I’m not interested in making friends with people who are on a completely different level than us.

“Uh huh, uh huh!” Neru and Dell chorus together, eyes all bright and hopeful.

I let out a very drawn out groan. I’m the only one who has a problem with this, aren’t I? Damn it, why the hell are they all looking at me like that…?

“What we’re missing here is school pride!” Neru exclaims. “We’re known for our loyalty and kind nature here at Oak Valley, but in the process, we’ve conditioned ourselves into a submissive mindset. Well this year, it’s all gonna change!” Geez, motivational speaker mode, much? Not to mention suuuper over-the-top.

I _might_ agree with it, but there’s still one problem. “Sure, it’s nice if we all manage to agree on it between the four of us… Just, how on earth will you convince an entire year group?” The games are usually split up into year groups. We’re in our second to last year before we have to be prepared for exams and the real world at eighteen. Hence, we’ll all be lumped together as a year group, and some of those guys aren’t the most agreeable. They’re like me, pretty much. Or as Neru said, in less dramatic terms of course, ‘conditioned into a submissive mindset’. We don’t like conflict.

“We’ve already planned ahead for that, my friend,” Dell smirks, winking in a not so subtle manner. Oh dear.

“Ooh, I almost forgot~” Neru clasps her hands together lightly. “Thanks, Dell!”

I see a barely noticeable, subtle shift in Dell’s expression when Neru says that. Gah, he’s crushing on her so hard, it’s frustrating to watch. I give Miku a knowing look; she covers her mouth with her fingertips.

“So, what’s this plan of yours?” Miku inquires.

“Oh, you’ll see...” Neru vaguely says, her words trailing off.

“Ten seconds left,” Dell pipes up. Wha- Where did he pull that watch he’s staring at from?

“Here we go!” Neru quietly giggles in excitement. She points to the front of the hall.

I glance around before following the direction of her finger, noticing that the hall is entirely full. Each row is full of students from our year group – they’re all chatting amongst themselves. I then turn my attention to the front.

“Five… four...” Dell counts down, and as soon as he signals zero, the doors to the left of the hall burst open. I’ll admit, that’s impressive.

“Ooh-hu-hu!~” Neru slyly chuckles, in a high-pitched tone but does so quietly.

“Ah, Neru-chan...” Miku sighs, slowly shaking her head.

The principal of Oak Valley High walks rather quickly toward the podium in front of the stage, appearing to be a bit exhausted. It looks like he’s running late, and even more astonishingly, Neru and Dell fully predicted this. Geez, how much stalking have they been doing? Or is it dumb luck? The hall falls silent; just a few quiet whispers remain. “Silence, everyone.”

His voice echoes out, sort of booming to reach the back of the hall. Yikes, I forgot how scary this man is. He straightens out his suit. Principal Kiyoteru Hiyama. He’s incredibly young for a man in that position but I assume he worked his ass off to get so far. Or perhaps he knows someone with a lot of cash.

“Ahem. My apologies for being late,” he lightly coughs, setting down a few sheets of paper. He’s stern and scary. I wouldn’t want to get in trouble with him. After glancing down at the sheets, he pushes his glasses up and holds his hands behind his back. “Now, as you all know, our friends from Mahogany Creek Academy will be arriving later today once classes are over, for the Talent Trials starting tomorrow.”

It technically starts _today_ but I suppose the principal counts it as _tomorrow._

“Woo, go team!” Neru suddenly yells out in an enthusiastic, incredibly loud voice. All eyes are suddenly focused on our little corner, and I feel myself squirm in humiliation.

“Miss Akita, while we appreciate your team spirit, please shut up,” Principal Hiyama warns her. All she needs is one warning, because she doesn’t say a word after. I can hear a few quiet giggles from the row below us.

I quietly scoff as I set eyes upon the ‘bad apples’ I mentioned earlier. Two girls and two guys – they would be good friends of ours if they weren’t so similar to Mahogany Creek students. SeeU, Lily, Fukase and Oliver. Assholes.

“As I was saying, they’ll be arriving in time for dinner. Please be at the dinner hall for 7pm sharp; we want our guests to feel welcome. I will be assigning some of the younger students to greet them at the doors. If you’re caught outside when they’re arriving, there will be strict consequences, am I clear?” The principal explains the rules pretty clearly, and when he asks that at the end, there are many silent nods from the students, including myself. It’s straightforward, anyway.

Principal Hiyama clears his throat and shuffles the papers around on the podium. “Ah yes, one more detail regarding their stay. The Mahogany Creek students will each be assigned a dorm room to stay in, so please make sure you have your rooms adequately set up to host an extra person.”

My eyes grow wide as I hear this. We’re being forced to share a room with one of those kids?! This is crazy. When we went over to their school two years ago, they gave us all separate rooms. I don’t remember this being a thing even further back in time, either. It must be a new set of rules. That means one of those stuck up dickholes will be invading mine and Dell’s personal space…!

I’m not the only one who’s annoyed by this. There are several whispers across the hall in disappointment and disbelief from the students.

“Silence, everyone. Silence!” Principal Hiyama bellows, putting on his apparent big-boy, scary voice to get us all to shut up. It works – we all zip it immediately, or else we’ll face his wrath. “I know this is a brand new rule, however, it is part of our agreement to Principal Yuzuki to be more accommodating with our friends. This should change things up and end this silly hostile atmosphere every couple of years when we’re all together.”

Principal Yuzuki… Mahogany Creek’s woman in charge. I thought Mr. Hiyama was terrifying, but Ms. Yuzuki is on a whole other level. It’s like… ten of Mr. Hiyama combined into one… and turned into a woman! The mere thought makes my skin crawl.

“Please, let’s do our best to make our friends feel welcome, and let’s give them a real competition this time. How about that school spirit, hmm?” The only time the principal isn’t scary is when he’s trying to be hip and cool with the kids. I can hear the crickets now. He coughs awkwardly, scrambling to move his papers around. “Anyhow, let us move onto the most important part. We need to form a team for the skill-based trials, such as cookery, maths, art and of course, the music event.”

Oh dear. My favourite part.

“But before that, I’d like to pass you over to two very dedicated students. They have an important message of their own that they’d be honoured to share regarding the games. Come on down, please.”

That can’t be… Neru and Dell? I turn my head to look at them, and watch as they both stand up proudly. Well, Neru is beaming with pride. Dell looks a bit more shy now that everyone is watching them.

“Ooh, here comes Oak Valley’s hottest couple...” A witch-like cackle comes from the row down from us – the girl with the bleach blonde hair spoke those words. Lily.

Neru simply rolls her eyes and squeezes past each of us to make her way to the right and down the steps, followed by Dell. There isn’t a round of applause or anything like that. Just more awkward silence. The second-hand embarrassment I feel right now is unbearable.

“Is this a good idea?” I mutter to Miku.

The teal-haired girl shrugs, genuinely unsure. “I suppose we’ll find out,” she says with a weak smile.

The two of them eventually make their way down the steps, Neru thriving off all the attention despite it being negative attention. They stand by Mr. Hiyama’s side. The blonde throws up a peace sign as a greeting.

“Heyo, good morning Oak Valley High!” she belts out. When there’s an unenthusiastic response, as in a cold hard silence, I see her brows furrow. She squirms ever so slightly, clearly uncomfortable. Jesus fucking christ, this is painful. “Uhh… Look, I know you guys aren’t looking forward to the Talent Trials, but...”

“Ya think?” A sarcastic voice rings out from somewhere along the bleachers.

“But we’re here to bring some school spirit back into play!” Dell starts speaking alongside her, flashing her a soft smile. Neru brightens up. It seems she’s glad she’s not alone up there. I tell you, I don’t think I could do the same for Miku in that sort of tight spot.

“That’s right!” Neru nods frantically. “Every two years, we come out as losers… We give it our best attempt, only to be one upped by one of those Mahogany Creek kids. I’m here to tell you all, that your best attempt isn’t good enough!”

Uh, this is supposed to be an inspirational piece, right? Another sour response is hurled forward. “Thanks for the confidence, Akita!”

“What Neru-chan means is...” Dell is quick to take control of the speech before it goes any further off the rails. “Aren’t you all tired of losing, over and over? Wouldn’t it feel _good_ to win, even if it’s just _one_ game in our favour?”

“We all used to be kind and helpful to each other… Positive and supportive…! Our spirits were crushed by Mahogany Creek, but now it’s time for us to band together once more and regain our confidence!” The way Neru finally regains control of this is kind of amazing. The way her eyes light up… I can hear her rough voice oozing with confidence and fiery passion now.

A few whispers erupt from the students. This time, they’re a bit more hopeful.

“Maybe she has a point...”

“You really think it’s possible…?”

I’m really shocked. She’s pulled this off, somehow. When I look at Miku, I notice that she’s on the verge of tears. Ah, emotional as always. This must be super inspiring for her, especially since she and Neru are best friends.

“It’s time we worked together to really show Mahogany Creek what school spirit is all about! They think they’re so unbeatable, that their teamwork can’t possibly be topped...” Dell continues in Neru’s place. It appears they must have made some sort of outline for this speech. I wonder how long they’ve been practising for. It’s so natural. “But let’s show them the true power of Oak Valley!”

“Yeah!!” A group of friends from the middle of the bleachers shout out suddenly in unison. My eyes widen. “We totally got this in the bag!”

Neru’s chest rises and falls deeply. Looks like she’s in shock, too. Part of her mustn’t have truly believed in herself… and now look at what she’s done. Soon, more students begin to support Neru and Dell, and then the entire hall is filled with cheers and applause. Seems like they all wanted to try harder but didn’t have the right amount of motivation.

“Yay, she did it, Kaito-kun…!” Miku giggles.

“Hmm, I suppose it’s not so bad after all… This could work to our advantage...”

Huh? What was that SeeU just said to her friends just now? This can’t be good.

“Kaito-kun?” Miku repeats my name. This time I hear her.

“Ah, sorry Mi-chan,” I laugh, rubbing at the back of my head. I was too preoccupied with what I just heard that I barely even hear Miku. “I bet you’re proud of her, hmm?” She nods.

“Thank you for that lovely speech, both of you,” Principal Hiyama says, drawing it to a conclusion. “Looks like we’ve got some school spirit back after all. Now let’s not forget that we have to fully apply ourselves to take on Mahogany Creek, everyone. Prepare as much as you can after classes today once I’ve sorted out which teams will be doing each activity!”

Well, here comes the fun part. I’m barely even listening though. I just can’t get that ominous sentence out of my mind… I hope they aren’t planning anything too messed up. That’s the least of my worries anyway, I suppose. I’ve just been officially wrangled into the Talent Trials thanks to Neru and Dell being too damn convincing. Why couldn’t they have just failed to motivate everyone…?

I have a feeling these next few days won’t be easy. Time to see if I’ve been chosen to play in these ridiculous games.

**...**


	3. Chapter Two - The 'First' Meeting

_Chapter Two: The ‘First’ Meeting_

“Wait, you did _what?!_ ”

I’ve been in total agreement with Neru and Dell’s idea to rally the school together for the Talent Trials. What I’m absolutely _not_ in agreement with is… is this…!

“Oh man, I can’t believe Principal Hiyama actually chose us!” Neru jumps around in excitement, a large grin plastered across her face.

“But- But you never even mentioned you put our names forward for the event!” I choke out, flabbergasted.

How it usually goes is the students put forward a list of four names, that list typically consisting of their friendship group, in hopes of making one of the two event teams. Then, the Principal pretty much pulls those slips of paper out of a hat or some bullshit in front of the other teachers, which determines who’ll take part in the smaller events. These groups of friends _normally_ discuss it amongst themselves before making the decision to hand in their names.

“Because, you know, it’s supposed to be a team effort!” I glare at Neru, who promptly stops skipping around in circles.

“Hey, I knew you would never agree to it. It’s for the greater good, Kai-kun.” The blonde pouts at my lack of enthusiasm. In fact, I’m rather pissed off that she and Dell went behind my back and submitted our friendship group for the games.

“I can’t- Are you hearing this, Mi-chan?” I turn to her for support, but she simply shrugs at me. Ah, as usual, I’m the only one who has a problem with this. One part of Neru’s speech is right; we’re all massive pushovers here and too damn submissive.

“S-Sorry, Kaito-kun...” she shyly laughs, rubbing her arm. “But it sounds like it’ll be lots of fun…! Neru-chan and Dell-kun were seriously motivating out there. I almost feel like we can win.”

I let out a groan in defeat. Sure, they might win one game, but this situation right here is something I can’t win. “Okay, fine. I won’t complain anymore. However...”

“Oh, here he goes again,” Dell tuts, flashing me a playful smirk.

“Don’t start with me, you smug son of a-”

“Your point, Shion?” Neru interrupts, raising a curious brow. She’s grinning right alongside the silver-haired devil. Even Miku lets out a small giggle. Unbelievable. I feel like a stranger in my own home.

“Ugh,” I roll my eyes. “Aren’t teams expected to brush up on their skills at least a month or so before the games?” I’m actually surprised the principal was so lenient and forgiving of our lack of skill. Makes me think that the second team is full of brighter students.

“Well, Dell-kun and I are kind of pros in the areas to begin with...” Neru starts by bragging, that cocky tone of hers kicking in. I narrow my eyes at her without saying a word. “Uhh… Yeah, we should probably do some research after classes.”

“Ah, jesus...” I mutter, rubbing the bridge of my nose in irritation. Before I can continue my rant of why this is such an awful idea, and we should resign while it’s still early, the bell rings out from above our heads. We’ve been standing by our lockers the entire time, making quite the scene while other students pass by.

“C’mon, Kaito-kun. We got Literature class,” Dell says, gesturing with his hand to get a move on.

“Don’t forget we got Music class all together this afternoon! We’ll discuss our plans during lunch!” Neru grins, before twirling around.

“You gonna be okay, Kaito-kun?” Miku asks, finally showing some concern for me.

“Nah, don’t worry. I’ll survive this, somehow.” I smirk, patting the top of her head. “Thanks for looking out for me though. You’re such a sweetheart.” I lean down and press my lips to her cheek for a quick moment, as a way of saying ‘seeya later.’

With that, Miku turns around to join Neru and head down the opposite end of the hall, while I spin around slowly with a heavy sigh to walk with my good friend Dell. While we’re away from the girls, we usually get a chance to relax and have some room to breathe. Not that we don’t like the girls, but sometimes a man needs space to himself.

“Sorry ‘bout dragging you into the Talent Trials, Kaito-kun,” Dell seems to get a chance to apologise, away from the fearsome clutches of Neru Akita.

“It’s fine. I only feel slightly betrayed, but I guess this’ll be a good bonding experience for us all,” I casually shrug, waving my hand dismissively. Maybe I’m just overreacting because I’m being pushed out of my comfort zone. Even though I absolutely despise Mahogany Creek students… I’ll focus on my friends and having a good time instead. It’s hard to shake this weird feeling deep within me, though. I can’t quite describe what it is.

Dell lets out a hearty chuckle at my self-deprecating melodrama. “Neru-chan has made a string of good decisions as of lately. Guess she really is maturing… Apart from yesterday, of course.”

“Hmmm,” I hum, folding my arms over my chest as I walk down the hall. “And what else about Neru-chan?”

Dell blinks in surprise when I ask that. He rubs at the back of his neck with a bashful smile as a response. We reach the classroom, which he uses an excuse to dodge responding with words. He coughs lightly, pushing the door open. “I don’t know what you mean,” he finally speaks, looking over his shoulder at me. He enters the class first, and I follow behind him.

“I thought it was painfully obvious at this point.” We take our seats at the back of the class, slipping down just in time before the teacher arrives. The second bell will probably ring any minute now – which gives me just a minute to interrogate Dell and get this out in the open once and for all.

“Nope, no idea what you mean,” he insists, propping his elbows up onto the desk. He averts my sly gaze, turning his head to stare out the window.

“You always talk very highly of our dear friend Neru-chan… That’s all.” I can’t help but snicker. I’m incredibly cruel at times. It’s almost fun watching him squirm and come up with an excuse. Perhaps he doesn’t even really realise his feelings.

“S-Stop it, Kaito-kun. We’re gonna get in trouble as soon as Ms. Miki arrives,” Dell stutters slightly, gulping down his nerves.

“Fine, fine...” I hold my hands up, unsuccessful in my pursuit of the truth. I’ll get him to spill sooner or later. If not, Miku and I will have no choice but to intervene and set them up. It’s been three years too long – Dell’s been practically obsessed with the blonde-haired tomboy ever since we became closer as friends. The thought of being a matchmaker is pretty cool, too. But alas, my main focus at present is Literature. Not that it’s a bad thing. It’s my favourite subject – I’m a natural. If only there were some sort of event for this in the Trials… Then we’d definitely win.

Ms. Miki finally bursts through the classroom door. She’s a few minutes late. It must be a pretty hectic day for all the staff. “I’m sorry for being late, everyone! Phew. Let us begin at once.”

…

Literature class flies by as usual. The things you love always pass by so quickly. How unfair. It means I’m faced with our afternoon music class way sooner than I want. Lunch itself isn’t so bad… Except from the part where Dell reminds us our group, of all people, have also volunteered to be part of the final event on the last day – a band battle sort of thing.

Naturally, I was even more outraged than this morning in the hall. I swear there was steam rising from my blue hair. I kept my cool this time though, which in hindsight was probably an awful idea, as we’re now in a small studio connected to the main classroom, being overlooked by our music teacher.

“I literally cannot fathom how this could possibly get any worse,” I mutter to myself, finding that I’m staring down at a guitar.

“Ooh, this is so exciting…!” Miku clasps her hands together, approaching a stand with a microphone already hooked up. Easy for her to say. She’s a wonderful musician – her voice is angelic and she knows it. The confidence she radiates is majorly attractive. This should be a piece of cake for her. But for the rest of us? I’m afraid we might drag her down and humiliate her on stage.

“Oh hell yeaaah!” Neru’s over-the-top call rings out from the right side of the studio. It’s obvious she wants our attention, but I still sneak a peek over to her corner, out of morbid curiosity. She’s standing over a pretty heavy-looking guitar. “I haven’t touched an electric guitar in years! Oh wow, I absolutely have to use this for the event!”

“Neru-chan plays electric guitar?” I raise a brow, glancing over at Dell, who looks nothing but love-struck.

“Wow… Is there anything she can’t do?” he says in a low tone, followed by a blissful sigh. Good lord.

“Looks like Neru-chan’s got the guitar part covered,” I change the subject, diverting this fool’s attention away from his future girlfriend.

“She’ll probably need some bass support, Kaito-kun.” Miku smiles over at me, and at first, I think she’s hinting that I take that spot.

“Woah, woah- No way! I can’t play bass, I-!” Her glare sharpens and her teeth clench together. Without her even saying anything, I can tell she: wants to kill me, and also, is not referring to me. “Ohhh… Ahaha...~ Dell-kuuun, how about you take my place? I’m hopeless here, man.” I flutter my lashes at the silver-haired boy. I think I can hear Miku slap her palm against her face.

“M-Me?” He points at himself, eyes widening and cheeks growing a nice shade of pink.

Neru must’ve been in her own world, blocking out the three of us, because she calls over to Dell a few moments later. “Ah, Dell-kun, I have a brilliant idea! How about you take up bass?” she grins, oblivious to what we said literally a second ago.

“M-Me?!” He again points at himself, only this time more frantic, and his voice is so high I swear someone pinched his balls.

“Oh~ Don’t be nervous! Stage fright is a serious thing, but I can teach you how to overcome it in no time!” Neru gestures for Dell to go on over to her. And just like a hypnotised little lamb, he trots on over to her side of the studio.

“Can I say, pussy-whipped?” I hiss in a low tone to Miku, slinking over to where she stands next to the microphone. I get the exact type of look I expected for making such a disgusting remark. “Hey, I was just kid-DING-!” She slams the back of her heel right into my foot, stomping down so hard that my words are cut off and instead continue as a loud squeak.

“That’ll teach you not to be so crude...” She sweetly giggles. Ahhh, sometimes I forget she can be the devil in disguise. I also keep forgetting that she’s not one of the guys, hence I have to watch my mouth around her. One would think the last _ten_ heel jabs made me learn my lesson…

“Y-Yes ma’am,” I wheeze, holding back tears.

Our banter continues for a short while; Dell and Neru are in their own corner giving each other music tips, whereas Miku gives me suggestions on which instrument I should take up. Things are starting to fall into place, until there’s a light tap on the studio door before it’s pushed open by our teacher.

We turn our heads to look at her, and I’m wondering if there’s some kind of problem. Perhaps we’ve been too loud? “Sorry to interrupt, dears. I just thought I’d let you all know that the other band for the Talent Trials are looking to use this studio here.”

“Wait, for real?” Neru is the first to pipe up. “Tell ‘em we’re busy using it.” I wish she wouldn’t talk back so rudely to teachers. Especially Mrs. Prima – this woman is famous in the music industry! Neru needs to show some damn respect.

“Sorry, we’re short on studios, what with the Talent Trials and all...” Mrs. Prima chuckles, lightly scratching at her cheek with her finger. “I’ll tell you what. How about you share? You guys can have the studio for half an hour, and then the other band can have it for the remaining half hour of the period. But they’ll have to sit over that side...” She directs our attention to the other half of the studio, which is separated by a glass window. That’s where all the mixing desks and fancy stuff is, with a few soft chairs.

“Ughhh...” Neru draws out an irritated moan.

“It’s no big deal,” Dell laughs, patting the tomboy on the shoulder.

“Thank you for letting us know, Mrs. Prima,” Miku gently smiles at the teacher.

The woman nods in response and turns around, leaving us be. Just a few moments after she leaves, I see the students on the other side of the studio enter. There’s two girls, two boys… Uh oh.

“Remember how I said, I literally cannot fathom how this could get any worse?” I ask out loud, referring to no one in general. One by one, my friends all stare through the glass window, to see that’s all that separates us from Lily, SeeU, Fukase and Oliver.

Lily gives us a wave with a smug grin on that bitchy face of hers, whereas SeeU blows us a kiss.

“Grrr…!” Neru begins to shake with rage. “Cover your ears, because I _really_ need to swear right now!” I dart my glance nervously between Miku and Dell. The blonde is swift to plug her guitar into an amp. After bumping up the dial to what I assume are dangerous levels, she lifts her hand up in the air.

“Neru-chan, bad idea…!”

“FU-”

I try to stop her, but all I end up hearing is a _loud ass_ strum, and I see her mouth open wide as she screams expletives – ones I can’t hear over the deafening guitar noises.

It’s over within a few seconds, but I don’t think my ears will ever be the same again. I watch Neru place the guitar against the amp and turn down the volume, before grinning as brightly as ever again.

“Owwie, my head...” Miku frowns.

“Wh-What did you say?!” Dell is apparently struggling to hear. What an absolute disaster.

As we only have half an hour to learn how to play the most basic shit, there’s not much that gets accomplished in this session. We have just three days to put together some kind of song; we can’t even rip off something we hear on the radio. It has to be fully original or we’ll be disqualified from the music contest. By the time I start to sort of get a grasp on how to handle a piano, our time is up. And literally.

The second our allocated 30-minute period is over, the other group led by Lily barges into the studio. Her bleach blonde hair flowing behind her, she struts toward us like she’s some sort of model. She stands with the most fake smile I’ve ever witnessed, resting a hand on her hip. “Well, thanks for killing our ears. It’s time to go now.”

“Wow, you guys did like, such a great job and all!” SeeU giggles, and though her words sound sickly sweet enough, there’s a bitter hint in there.

“Thank you,” Miku says. She knows it’s fake, but she’s learned along with the rest of us, it’s best to get under their skin with little things like accepting their ‘compliments’.

“We’re gonna blow you freaks out of the water when it comes to the Trials,” Fukase snickers. His voice is rough like Neru’s, except it’s like this guy is trying way too hard to sound badass.

“You do realise we’re not competing amongst ourselves, right?” Dell scoffs at the red-head, clearly bored of their attitude. “But please, keep up that energy when it comes to the night of the event.”

“Hehe...” Lily giggles softly, taking a few steps closer to us. She stops in her tracks right in front of Neru, hand on hip and all. She snaps her fingers, and SeeU comes running to her side like a dog. The two girls scan their eyes over Neru – the blonde-haired tomboy doesn’t even blink at their intimidation tactics.

“Ah…!” Dell looks pissed. There’s a fire in his eyes when I look over my shoulder, and it appears like he’s about to storm forward. I’m quick to block his path by holding out my arm, firmly shaking my head. Don’t be such an idiot.

“This bitch thinks she can run our school...” Lily speaks in such a shiver-inducing tone, but her eyes are bright and that fake smile is still stuck on her face.

“How pathetic,” Oliver chimes in, standing beside Fukase, just a few steps behind their ‘queen’. I can’t believe I’m even witnessing this right now.

“Where’d you get the guts from, Akita?” SeeU sneers, before extending her arm and placing her fingertips under Neru’s chin. She tilts our friend’s head up so that their eyes meet.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” Neru growls, immediately taking a step back and shaking her off.

I grit my teeth together in frustration. Knowing that all I can do is watch just pisses me off. If any of us try to step in and defend Neru, they’ll turn their anger and malice towards all of us. I don’t want to give them the ammo they need to go out of their way to seriously fuck things up for us. Although it seems like this is what they’ve been planning since this morning.

“Ooh, she’s a tough little cookie,” comes Fukase’s tutting.

“I don’t know why your worthless self thought it’d be a good idea to grow some balls for a change, but you’ll soon learn from your mistakes,” Lily finally speaks in a more threatening tone. “Mahogany Creek students aren’t your enemies, Akita. You’ll see.”

“Gr...” Neru can only huff in anger. Her cheeks look like they’re burning red from both rage and embarrassment. I feel so bad that all we can do is watch. Lily has always targeted Neru, and every time they corner her like this, it’s so hard to just stand there. She clenches her fists, and it looks as though she wants to fight back. However… “Let’s get out of here, guys.”

She instead turns to the three of us. Without even waiting for us to react, she hurries out of the room and doesn’t look back.

“Neru-chan...” Miku whispers. I can hear the regret and sadness in her voice.

“Go on, better go follow your freak of a friend before she punches a hole into a wall.” Oliver delivers one final insult – incredibly low, considering she’s already left the room.

“Come on, Mi-chan.” I finally say, releasing my breath after holding it without even realising. I take hold of her hand and quickly pull her out of the studio. Dell follows as soon as we make a break for it, hands stuffed into his pockets.

“Buh-bye, rejects!” SeeU calls out from behind us, and just before I slam the door, I hear the four of them burst out into cruel laughter.

When we exit the studio, Neru is nowhere to be seen in the main classroom. I scan my eyes around to look at the tables, which confirms she’s definitely not here anymore. Mrs. Prima also isn’t in the room, so I decide to take the initiative and leave without permission. I slip my hand out of Miku’s.

“Wh-What are you doing…?” she questions me. She sounds all shaken up still.

“We gotta find Neru-chan,” Dell answers for me, pushing past the two of us toward the classroom door.

“But… but we’ll get-!”

“In trouble?” I interrupt, predicting what she’ll say next. When our eyes meet, she breaks out into shy laughter. “Come on.”

With that, Miku and I catch up with Dell, sneaking out into the hall. Maybe we can get away with skipping class if we stay very, very quiet…

“Fuuuuck! Fuck, fucking fake bitches, god damn it!” A voice screams out from just down the hall. Miku and I exchange concerned glances. So much for quiet.

I quickly head down the hallway, and when I come closer, I see two people. Dell is there, trying to calm the other down… And Neru is in the middle of throwing a rage-fuelled fit, throwing her heel into the nearest things she can find – unfortunately, she sets her sights on a trash can, and within seconds, its contents are spilled all over the freshly waxed floors.

“Hey, hey, hey…!” I wave my arms at her to get her attention.

“Neru-chan, hey...” Dell is standing closer to the girl, so he’s the one to tightly grab her by the shoulders and get her to snap out of it. Miku stands by my side, a heartbreaking expression in her eyes.

“Why are they so mean, Kaito-kun?” Miku quietly asks, but that’s something I can’t answer.

Neru squeezes her eyes shut and tilts her head downward, avoiding eye contact. “They always… always have to fuck with me…! What the hell did I do to them?!”

“Lily is power mad, you know that,” Dell softly chuckles. “They’re just jealous of how amazing and confident you are. They’re jealous of the true power you have.”

Neru slowly opens her eyes and looks up at the silver-haired boy. Seeing this from the sidelines is actually pretty breathtaking. They’re just staring into each other’s eyes, Neru’s face filling with happiness and almost some sort of realisation. Dell, on the other hand, looks as love-struck as ever.

“Wow,” Miku mutters. I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her close to me. “I guess Neru-chan will be okay after all.”

I mumble an ‘mhm’ in agreement, with a sigh. It’s still kind of worrying, seeing Neru fully freak out like that. She’s so good at hiding her emotions – keeping them pent up inside of her. This is the first proper outburst she’s had in the time we’ve all been friends.

“Maybe… Maybe I should tell Principal Hiyama that we’re going to withdraw.” Neru’s eyes fall down to her feet. She’s suddenly filled with doubt.

I suppose this should be my cue to convince her otherwise. I haven’t exactly been a great help to her confidence, what with all my complaining about being part of the event. I take a step forward, breathing in. “Hey, the Neru-chan I know would never say that.”

“Kai-kun...” Neru softly smiles at me. It’s kind of surreal seeing her in such a vulnerable, emotional state. She then looks back at Dell, who finally lets go of her shoulders. A moment passes, and… “Fuck it, you’re right. I shouldn’t let those hoes get to me. Sorry for flipping out.”

“Don’t worry about it, Neru-chan~” Miku beams, supporting her best friend. “Dell-kun is right, too. Their jealousy really reared its ugly head back there…”

“You think they’ll try to sabotage us when we participate?” Neru raises a brow slightly, overcome with worry.

“Ehh...” Dell and I mutter at the same time, at a loss for words.

“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Miku answers, before directing a tut toward the both of us boys. She’s far more reassuring and optimistic than I can ever be. “If they try anything, I’m sure Mr. Hiyama will disqualify them and replace them.”

“I guess,” Neru shrugs, deciding to accept that for now. “Let’s try to stay one step ahead of ‘em, though. We’ll host a meeting in the dorm lounge before the Mahogany Creek students arrive, alright? We need to prepare for tomorrow and get everything ready.” Looks like she’s back to being the bossy leader. Although, I’m finally starting to feel a little less apprehensive to the whole situation. I hope that weird feeling of mine fades soon enough.

…

A pile of books blocks my entire frontal view out. It’s not even a pile – it’s more like a stack. Not even that, a giant stack of books, right in front of my face! If that isn’t bad enough, they’re starting to wobble and shift out of place as I take slow steps down the dorm hall toward the chill-out area.

Neru is taking the lead once more, suggesting that we should brush up on skills we haven’t applied in a while, as well as learning new ones. Since we’re one of the two teams, we’ll be facing Mahogany Creek head on in events such as baking, art, woodwork design and other academic subjects. The pressure is insane, pretty much. The entire school will be looking up to us. Of course, the lower year groups have their own teams to support, but being the oldest, the hate and blame will fall to us if we make any mistakes.

Neru also ordered me to bring a stack of books from the library, which is _ridiculously_ far away from the dorms here. I’m surprised I haven’t dropped any books on the pile yet. Given that the hall that stretches down toward the lounge area is rather narrow, it means I can’t see if anyone is walking in front of me. There’ll barely be any room to squeeze past. I should be able to handle it, though.

I can tell I’m getting closer from the sounds of chatter drifting down the hall. “Ahh, finally. Stupid Neru-chan, making me pick up cookbooks and other academic textbooks...” I grumble to myself.

Just as I’m nearing the end of my unbearable journey, I suddenly feel someone’s shoulder clash straight into me from the front. “Wah!” I gasp, instantly being shoved to the side without any warning. I try my best to maintain my balance, but it’s incredibly difficult – my feet tangle together.

“Hey, watch where you’re going…!” An unfamiliar voice scolds me.

“You’re the one who knocked into- Ahh…!” I can’t finish that sentence. I can’t even see this guy’s face, but that’s the least of my worries. My fingers slip out of place from the books since I’ve been so preoccupied on keeping my feet straight.

A loud crash resonates through the hall. The heavy thud of many books falling down is heard, along with my incredibly painful crash to the floor. Another gasp follows about a split second after that – it turns out that yell belongs to the one who caused this mess in the first place.

“Ow, ow, ow!” I exclaim, my entire body immediately beginning to ache. A few books fell onto my head and legs, whereas an entire _person_ nearly crushed me, too. The intense pain I feel right now doesn’t mean I’m not about to seriously lay into this inconsiderate asshole. I begin to pick myself up as I landed face first. I struggle, but I shift myself onto my knees, eyes still low. “You need to… huff… be more aware of your surroundings, you damn jerk…!”

“Are you kidding me? You’re the one who… ouch…! Who is carrying around a pile of books like that. Talk about a health and safety breach!”

I lift my eyes up after sorting out a few books, and realise this guy’s face is incredibly close to mine. We must’ve fallen and bumped our heads together. “That’s irrelevant! I’m-!” My words get caught in my throat the second I look into his eyes. “I’m… uh…” Why am I speechless all of a sudden?

“Huh?” He mumbles. I’ve never seen this boy in my life. He has long purple hair which is tied up and deep blue eyes. His eyes… Why can’t I stop staring into his eyes? My heart is pounding in my chest. He’s looking at me with the exact same expression that I’m wearing. Confusion. Bewilderment. A strange sense of familiarity.

“S-S-Sorry, wh-who… who are you…?” Those words come out of my mouth all on their own, along with an incredibly nervous, shaky stutter. I’m feeling light-headed and breathless out of nowhere. Did I hit my head that hard? And why are my cheeks burning?

He continues to stare at me, not saying a word. This is… I don’t know how to describe this… I’m overwhelmed with the intense feeling that I’ve already met this boy in front of me before. Does he go to this school? No, even if he did, I wouldn’t be feeling this way. It’s like the exact same thoughts are racing through his mind, except he pulls himself up to his feet in a hurry. In fact, he practically jolts up, as though struck by some kind of spark. He dusts himself off swiftly. “Gakupo Kamui. From Mahogany Creek Academy.” His voice comes out, and it’s pretty deep and serious but also calm.

I begin to panic. I helplessly follow his movements with my eyes, trying to pin where I recognise him from. I’ve never took part in the Talent Trials before… No, that doesn’t feel right. It feels deeper than that. There’s simply no way I’ve met him before. I don’t even recognise the name. It’s impossible.

“The hell are you staring at me like that for, brat?” He lets out an irritated scoff, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The second he starts talking that bullshit, the feeling fades and I’m left in a daze. I blink rapidly, wondering exactly what I’m doing here in the middle of the hall on my knees.

“Shit, my books…!” I gasp, clambering to pile them back up. “Did you bump into me and knock my books over? You damn asshole!”

“Tch, get over yourself, kid. You’re the one who bumped into me, for your information,” he retorts. I genuinely have no clue how I got in this situation. It feels like I just woke up from some sort of dream, but how can that be? “Just who do you think you’re talking to like that, anyway? I’ll crush you like the bug you are if you say another word to me.”

“Wh- Hah-!” My eyes grow wide. I forgot how utterly arrogant and disgusting Mahogany Creek students are. He doesn’t even need to mention where he’s from, I can tell by the way he acts he’s not from Oak Valley. I choke out a laugh, at a loss for words, wondering where to begin in my rant of telling him off. As I find the right words, it’s already too late, because he’s long gone. “Eh? Wh-Where did that asshole go?”

I turn my head over my shoulder, to see that he’s quite the distance away from me already. “Gah! That dick…! He isn’t even gonna help me clean up this mess!” I continue to curse that purple-haired demon while I pick up the rest of the books, knowing these next few days are going to be a living Hell.

**...**


	4. Chapter Three - A Spectacularly Awful Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! So I've been doing some mega planning for this story and finally figured out there should be around 20 or 21 chapters total to this work if things stay on track. I've put most of the pieces together, so now I just gotta let the words flow and my mind fill in the rest! I've also updated the rating because there'll be more mature theme, as well as adding in a sneaky F/F tag - but you won't know who the pairing is til later. ;) Ok, enough talking, please enjoy!~

_Chapter Three: A Spectacularly Awful Start_

My mind has been fuzzy ever since I bumped into that purple-haired creep in the hall. Unable to concentrate, I find myself zoned out while my friends chat away. I can hear their voices but they’re almost distant, faded… And my eyes are fixated on a random point in the dorm lounge.

A sudden smack from a roll of paper to the top of my head causes me to snap back to reality. “Wh-Wha-?” I blink rapidly, straightening my slouched position up and turning my eyes to the group.

“Oh thank God, Kai-kun has returned from orbit.” Neru is holding her arm out slightly, a piece of rolled up paper gripped in her hand. So, it must have been _her_ who so rudely whacked me.

“Is everything okay, Kaito-kun?” Miku’s words are full of gentle concern; her fingertips tickle my back as she gives me a reassuring caress.

“Just thinking,” I say, telling _some_ of the truth.

“We must’ve fried poor Kaito-kun’s brain after all the hard work we made him do today,” comes Dell’s teasing jab.

“Ha ha.” I force out the most sarcastic laugh possible.

“Well, if you’re done spacing out, you could give us all a hand by looking for some recipes,” Neru orders, tapping the rolled up paper against one of the many books on the table in front of me.

“Yes-sir, Sergeant Asshole, sir.” I slyly smirk, using my best army-type voice, springing upright and saluting – which earns me another swift smack to the top of my head, this time with the force of both her hands.

“Hehe… Poor Kaito-kun, you only have yourself to blame...” Miku quietly giggles, before giving me one hell of a condescending pat to the afflicted area. Dell chuckles along with her in agreement.

“Wow, thanks for the support. My girlfriend and best friend are conspiring against me, it seems,” I dramatically sniffle, wiping the corner of my eye.

I let out a heavy sigh after, turning my focus to the sprawled out books which take up the entirety of the table, and that table isn’t exactly small. In fact, the four of us right now are taking up the largest area of the dorm lounge, sitting on the couches easily made for six to eight people. I can imagine the kinds of dirty glares we’re getting from the other students for being so inconsiderate.

“So, the baking event is first?” I ask after some silence, wanting to know more about the specific events and their order.

“Yes, it takes place in the morning period before lunch,” Miku responds, with a single nod. “Everything we make is supposed to serve as lunch for the participants, so we really have to tackle a huge dish. You think we can handle it?”

I think back to the last time I made a full meal for myself. It certainly has been a while… Here at school, my friends and I normally rotate between eating out, making easy things like sandwiches, attending the cafeteria, or if we’re being creative, Dell handles all the cooking. Outside of school, I distinctly remember turning one section of my parents’ kitchen into charcoal. I decide to not mention this to Miku.

Laughing lightly, I wave my hand dismissively. “Pssh, it’ll be a piece of cake. Hah… Get it?” I play off my embarrassing, unmentionable memories by trying to make a cool pun. Of course, that falls flat on its face, as I’m met with crickets.

Although once the pun sinks in, I receive a bad reception. “We’re not even making cake, you dumb fu-”

“Language in the dorms, Neru-chan,” the silver-haired boy is quick to interrupt the quick-witted tomboy, cutting her off perfectly before any bad language slips out.

“Alright, so what exactly do we have to make, if not cake?” I huff, picking up one of the recipe books and flicking it open to a random page. It lands somewhere near the middle, a recipe for a stacked cake showing itself. I narrow my eyes, resorting to scolding an inanimate object. “Hey, that’s really not helpful, book.”

“Uhh, now I think Kaito-kun is getting delirious,” Dell says in a low tone, but not quiet enough for me to not hear. Neru and Miku laugh at the remark anyway, cackling like a pair of witches.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I wave my hand again, apparently needing to dismiss a lot of bullshit. “How about, uhh...” I squint my eyes, flicking through a few more pages, skipping over some content so I don’t find recipe after recipe for just cake. “Here we go. Pizza?”

“Mm, I could go for some pizza right now...” The second I suggest it, Miku starts to crave it. She speaks in a dreamy tone, becoming all starry-eyed.

“Eh,” Neru shrugs. “Doesn’t sound bad, but the guide for the event says we have to make something like a full course meal.”

“Wait, speaking of that so-called guide,” Dell says, brow raised. “Where exactly is it? It’d be better if we looked over it some more to get a better idea of what to do.”

“Ohhh...” The blonde lets out a nervous laugh in realisation. She hesitantly lets go of part of the paper in her hand, loosening her grip so that it flops down to reveal what appears to be a guide. “Right here. Sorry guys.”

Miku and I exchange stupefied gazes, while Dell leans forward and covers his face with his palm, head slowly shaking.

“Look, don’t worry, it’s barely damaged…!” Neru waves the piece of paper in front of our faces. I can see the messy creases and the imprint of it being hastily rolled up; the edges of the sheet curl. If inanimate things had feelings, this piece of paper would be recoiling in fear in the hands of the wicked tomboy.

“We only get _one_ of these, need I remind you,” Dell groans, sitting back up with the most intense, pissed off expression of disbelief I’ve ever seen. He then promptly snatches it from her claws, giving her no time to react other than blinking in confusion at the ninja move. “I’ll keep this safe, alright?”

“That’s probably for the best...” Miku mutters in agreement, side-eyeing her best friend. Cold.

Neru is left with a childish pout on her face, her cheeks all puffed out and a sad sparkle in her eyes. “No fair, I’m supposed to be leading this rodeo.”

“Leave it to the co-leader for a while,” Dell sighs, gently patting the girl on her shoulder to reassure her everything is still in safe hands. He straightens the sheet out as best he can before scanning his glance over it. “Hmm. Yeah, the judging criteria is looking for stuff like baked to near enough perfection, the right amount of moisture and blah blah blah… Not to mention it must ‘stand out’ from the other team, and creativity such as colour and experimenting with flavours...”

The more he reads out, the more apprehensive I feel. The uncomfortable feeling sinks in, leaving me nervous. I still need a bit more information about the event, though. “When it says colour, I hope that means they’re giving us a wide variety of food to work with. Does it mention what ingredients they’re providing?”

Dell is silent for a moment as he scans some more. “Hmm...” he hums, furrowing his brows. He then looks back up and gives me a firm, simple shake of the head, with a ‘nope’. “It’s as vague as it can be, which will be on purpose. It just says, a range of veggies, poultry, fish and all that will be provided… But I doubt there’ll be _that_ much.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to hope for the best and find a good enough recipe,” I say. It’s kind of fun to get down to business like this. The hint of mystery is still pretty worrying, of course, but maybe we’ll be able to pull something off.

“These cookbooks look easy to follow, too,” Neru pipes up, shifting through the pages before turning it around for us all to get a peek at. When I get one look at the photo on the page, my mouth starts watering.

“Woah, Neru-chan, what is that?” Miku gasps, her eyes brightening up in curiosity. Even Dell has his head tilted to the side, leaning in real close to get a better look.

“Eh…?” Neru looks a little uncomfortable from all the attention, but she’s quick to flip it back around so she can fully take the page in. “I-I just opened it to this page at random. Says here it’s, uh… Rainbow stir-fry.”

“Ah!” Miku happily claps her palms together, giggling in glee. I sort of jolt at the sudden outburst of energy, but it seems like she’s remembered something. “I just got a flashback to when I was younger. Oh wow, my parents used to make this all the time! Not the exact same recipe, but they sorta put their own spin on it. See how this uses just veggies? They liked to add noodles and seafood. It was always so delicious…!”

“Oh, wow,” I laugh. I had no idea my girlfriend’s love of food went beyond plain old obsession. Looks like her parents totally spoiled her with wonderful dishes as a kid. “So, you’re saying what, exactly?”

“Duh, dude,” comes Dell’s teasing scoff. “She’s gonna take care of the main dish.”

“Miku-chan, you’re amazing!” Neru is quick to praise her, looking incredibly grateful. I suppose I should praise her too, huh? “Is there anything you _can’t_ do? You’re gonna embarrass all of us in these events!”

Miku smiles bashfully, a light red staining her cheeks. She looks down nervously to her lap, her giggling becoming almost hysterical as she basks in the compliments. She remains modest, however. “D-Don’t be silly, it’s just a coincidence that my parents were good cooks. I’m sure you’ll all have your time to shine in the other events...”

“Wow, Mi-chan. There really is no limit to your strengths,” I softly grin, brushing her teal fringe aside and resting my palm on her cheek. She looks up at me, her blush darkening and her lips parted in surprise. I know this is totally going to gross Neru and Dell out, but I can’t let those two out-do me when it comes to complimenting my own girlfriend…! “You’re smart, beautiful, you have the voice of an angel, _and_ you can cook delicious meals… You’re every man’s dream. You have no idea how lucky I am to have you all to myself...~”

“Gag! Get a room!” I can’t see their faces right now, but what I can hear are the fake gagging noises coming from the couch opposite Miku and I.

“K-Kaito...kun...” Miku is at a total loss for words. She stammers, trying to form a sentence, but trips over her words every single time. Uh oh, I can just _see_ the steam blowing out of her ears right now. Time for the finishing blow. I know she’s a sucker for talks of the future – many a time has she told me about our dream wedding and how she’d love nothing more than to be my wife. She’s very traditional in that way.

“You’d make such a wonderful, loving, supportive wife one day. I’d come home from work after a long day, and you’d be there to rub my shoulders and tell me you made yet another brand new dish for the two of us to share, over a candlelit table...” I resist the urge to snicker. Personally, I’m indifferent toward thoughts of the future. As long as Miku is still in my life, I don’t care how absurdly traditional she wants to be. It’s just incredibly fun to out-compliment Neru and Dell, _and_ to push Miku’s buttons.

“K-Kaito-kun… y-y-you… you really… m-mean it…?!” She’s bursting to the brim with excitement and hope, akin to that of a 13-year-old over-the-top school girl in some sickly shoujo anime. There’s the pink background and rose petals twirling around in her mind right now, I guarantee it. “Ahhh…! I’ll d-d-do my b-best…!” And with that, she drops down to her back, the kettle in her head reaching boiling point. She explodes into a giddy mess, starting to roll around in her own fantasies.

I turn to Neru and Dell with a cocky smirk slapped onto my face. “And that, lady and gentleman, is why you never try to beat me in a contest of complimenting Mi-chan.” They’re utterly gobsmacked – jaws dropped and all. Their silence speaks volumes, however, and I take this as a victory.

“Is… um...” Neru struggles to get anything out as she narrows her eyes at the giddy teal-haired girl, who’s currently muttering and giggling to herself. “Is she going to be alright?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” I casually shrug. “Give her about five minutes to cool down. She’s already done her part, anyway. All we gotta do is figure out our part in all this.”

“Y-Yeah, I… I guess so...” Dell rubs at the back of his neck, unable to peel his eyes away from Miku for a good couple of seconds. Giving a sigh, he turns back to the recipe books – we have a long night ahead of us.

It’s around 10pm by the time research and planning draws to a close. The thing that’s been focused on the most is the first event tomorrow; my friends and I have finally come up with a full-course meal idea, after many back and forth disagreements and with all the stress setting in. Since Neru had come up randomly with the rainbow stir-fry dish, Dell made the suggestion to make a full Chinese-style set of dishes. Dell agreed to cover the appetizer, Neru pounced on the opportunity to take the dessert recipe, which left the soup to me. I’ve made soup before, so it should be easy enough. Uh, that is, if pouring a tin of soup into a pan counts as ‘making’ it.

It’s about time to call it a night after all that. There’ll probably be a teacher making the rounds soon, to make sure all the students are in bed and lights are out, so I pull myself up from the couch. A large yawn escapes my mouth; my eyelids are heavy after such intense research. The books on the table are covered by another load of paper, with our scribbles all over the sheets. We had each contributed to the team effort by copying down each recipe – Dell takes those sheets of paper and we agree to redistribute them tomorrow morning.

“Better head off to bed,” Neru says, stretching out with a sigh. She rolls her neck from side to side, her arms up in the air behind her. “I’m confident that we got this one in the bag, guys. Great job for sticking it out so long – especially Kai-kun.” She sends a cheeky wink my way.

Oof. That one hits my pride, right in the chest. I hear Dell snicker along with her, a dumb grin across his face, so I decide to pay him back. I point to him. “Him and I will take these books back to the library.”

The shit-eating smirk on his face is quick to fade the second I offer us both up to return the books. It’s a shame though, we didn’t use even half of these. I grabbed way more than cookbooks in the beginning, so all my heavy lifting efforts have been in vain. “W-Wait, I didn’t sign up for this…!”

Neru slams her palm into the silver-haired boy’s back, resulting in a nice ‘thump’ sound; he stumbles forward a couple steps, groaning. “Be a man and accept your manly responsibilities! Us ladies gotta get our beauty sleep, huh, Mi-Mi?”

Miku quickly nods in agreement, an innocent smile pulling at her lips. “Mhm, mhm~ Thank you for sparing us the heavy lifting, Kaito-kun and Dell-kun.”

See, I’m a man, not a mouse – unlike my best friend Dell Honne. I don’t mind taking the books back like the gentleman I am. But I also can’t help being petty by making Dell pay for his mocking remarks. “G’night, Mi-chan. Sleep well,” I softly say, leaning forward and pecking her on the cheek.

“Goodnight!” Miku giggles, before turning toward the lounge doors with Neru.

I turn to Dell with the same smug expression he was wearing only a minute ago. That’s my second victory of the night. That’ll be all my revenge… for today. “Tch, tch. I cannot believe you, Honne,” I tut in a sort of sing-song tone. “Making such sly jabs at your own best friend just so you’re in your girlfriend’s good books...”

“H-Huh?!” Dell looks both humiliated and outraged. It’s like he’s deciding between socking me right in my face or denying his feelings for the blonde. “Don’t be ridiculous, I only tease you because you’re an easy target. It’s got nothing to do with Neru-chan.” He averts his eyes, leaning down to the table and starting to pick up some of the books.

Joining him, I kneel and slowly collect my half. I take my time to stack them up, one on top of the other, wondering how I’ll muster enough energy to walk all the way to the library and back. “You know, Mi-chan and I are incredibly close to setting you two up ourselves,” I casually remark, keeping my glance on the books.

“Don’t bother. There’s nothing going on between us,” Dell bluntly shuts me down. He stacks up his half of the books, which fortunately don’t cover his entire view, meaning I should be fine this time around.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah...” I roll my eyes, muttering and having no choice but to drop it for now. He’s so good at avoiding his own feelings. I can’t imagine how annoying it must be to constantly cover things up and lie. I collect my share of the books a few moments after him, and then we’re on our way to the library.

There’s some chitchat between us on the way there, but as it’s almost time for lights out, there are some teachers strolling up and down the halls who’ll probably screech at us if we talk too loudly. Sliding the books back into their place – well, near enough their original place – Dell and I are quick to get it over and done with. Just as we’re coming back to the dorms, I’m hit with a sort of realisation. “Oh yeah, uh…” I speak up, rubbing at a tired eye. My speech is kind of sluggish after all that walking and reaching up to put books away. “Did we get a sheet that told us which student’s gonna be bunking in our room?”

Dell’s eyes widen, but only slightly due to the fatigue on his face. It’s like he only just remembered, too. “Shit, that’s right. I think Neru-chan pocketed the sheet Mr. Hiyama gave us earlier,” he grumbles, brushing some of his silver hair out of his eyes.

“That’s so… so typical...” I’d protest more, but I no longer have the energy. “Guess we’re about to find out anyway.” Dell and I arrive outside our dorm room. I push the door open; it lets out a small creak because apparently this place is old as hell, and that’s when I see someone has already made themselves comfortable. On _my_ bed.

“Uh...” Dell raises a brow as we step inside. He shuts the door behind us, because I immediately storm forward to tell our new ‘room-mate’ off.

That’s when I notice I’ve already been acquainted with this person. It’s the purple-haired jerk who knocked me onto my ass a few hours ago outside, and he’s sitting there all spread out on my god damn bed, arms propped up behind him. I can feel the smug aura radiating off him and I grit my teeth to stop myself from losing control of my temper. He opens one eye up, his expression calm as though to ask why _I’m_ interrupting _him._ “Excuse me, I hope you realise that’s my bed,” I say, letting out a scoff in disgust when I notice he’s also wearing his outdoor shoes. “And take your filthy shoes off there.”

“Geez,” comes his low tone, before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He reaches down to yank his shoes from his feet, tossing them forward. They land just next to me. “There, happy?”

“Oh my God, what an asshole,” Dell’s shocked tone comes from behind me, and he’s soon stood by my side in support. He places his hands on his hips, glaring over at the purple-haired boy. “Didn’t you hear? That’s not your bed.”

He lets out a hearty chuckle at Dell’s protest. Is he seriously just sitting there laughing? God, I want to punch this guy right in his arrogant face. “That’s funny,” he says, while propping his legs back onto the bed. “I thought I made it obvious that it _is_ mine now.”

I’m speechless for a good moment or so. Does he think he can waltz into my school, barge into my room, and take _MY_ fucking bed?! I roll up my sleeves, preparing to teach that scumbag a lesson.

“K-Kaito-kun, relax…!” Dell nervously laughs. I feel a hand resting on my shoulder, and then he pulls me back a couple of paces. “You can take my bed, it’s no big deal. I’ll just sleep on the air bed that the teachers set up.”

“That’s right, keep your boyfriend under control. Kaito-kun, was it?” the boy lazily asks, waving a hand at us in dismissal.

That’s it. I raise my fist, making a move. “I’m seriously gonna-!” My words are cut off by Dell stopping me again, this time he slides an arm around the front of my body and physically drags me backwards. “Lemme teach this Mahogany punk some manners…!”

“Kaito-kun, as much as I’d love to see that...” Dell flicks his glance over at the purple-haired devil. His voice certainly is full of regret. “We’re gonna pay ‘em back in other ways, remember?”

I take in a light breath, regaining my composure. The only reason I resorted so quickly to threats of violence is because there’s a weird sensation within me… Something telling me that we’ve encountered each other before… But that can’t be. The only time I’ve met this guy is when he bumped into me. But anyway, my friend is right. We’re going to destroy them in tomorrow’s first event. Dell passes the sheets of paper that we scribbled on earlier.

“Keep these on my bedside table, alright?”

I take the papers, giving a nod. He pats me on the back before moving toward the air bed in the corner of the room. I feel bad for just stealing his bed, but if that jerk hadn’t taken my own bed, this wouldn’t be a problem. I roll my eyes, turning toward Dell’s bed. I set the sheets of paper onto the bedside table, shifting his small lamp aside a little bit so there’s enough room. I can feel that jerk’s eyes following me as I move over to the wardrobe attached to the wall between the two beds – growing increasingly more uncomfortable and irritated at the same time. “Can you stop fucking staring at me?” I defensively growl.

“Staring? Who’s staring?” When I look at him, he’s already pulled his eyes off me. He acts all innocent, as though he’s done nothing wrong. He’s currently fixated his gaze onto the wall at the other end of the room.

“Look, guys...” Dell interrupts, putting an end to the tense situation. “If we’re all gonna be living together for the next few days, let’s at least try to get along. Or if you can’t manage that, just… avoid ripping each other’s heads off.”

I let out a stubborn huff, pulling the wardrobe doors open. I reach in to my half of the wardrobe, and grab my PJs off the rack. I answer him when I pull my head out of there. “I’m not the one with the problem. He’s the one who stole my bed, in case you forgot already.”

“Hey, your principal said you have to make me feel welcome,” the purple-haired boy speaks in his own defense, using that same innocent, remorseless tone. It’s like he doesn’t even _feel_ guilt. No, in fact, he’s never heard of it in his life. Can’t own up to his mistakes so he tries to deflect like this. “I figured the most generous thing one of my new room-mates would do to make me feel welcome, would be to offer up their bed so that I’m comfortable. I’m just one step ahead of your decisions, that’s all.”

“Oh, is that what it is?” I scoff, turning my back to him as I pull my shirt over my head. “You really think we’d offer up a bed to Mahogany Creek worms?”

“Ugh...” Dell simply lets out a sigh in defeat. “I’m going to sleep. Don’t argue too loudly.”

“If you want a chance at making your life as misery free as possible over the next few days,” the purple-haired boy answers.

Sliding my night vest over my body, I resist the urge to let out a heavy grumble. He’s only been here five minutes and it’s already too long. I want them to leave right now. I decide to switch the subject to something else. “You know, you still haven’t apologised for knocking my books over in the hall.” Finishing getting ready for bed, I slide myself under the covers and lie on my back. I avoid making eye contact with him.

“Huh?” He sounds genuinely puzzled, although he’s probably just a good liar. “Nah, wasn’t me. Must be mistaking me for someone else.”

“I’m Dell, by the way,” the boy butts in through a strained voice, out of nowhere. He’s trying real hard to make a lighter conversation.

“You should try being nicer like your buddy over there,” the other says. I don’t know what makes him think I want his stupid opinions on my behaviour. “I’m Gakupo, by the way.”

“Great. Now I can formally say it,” I plaster on a sickly sweet smile. It turns bitter in an instant. “Go fuck yourself, Gakupo.”

“Yep, screw this!” Dell lets out a dramatic yell, and with a flick, darkness floods the room.

“Ooh, so you’re a fiery one, I see.” Gakupo snickers, meeting my insults with a mocking, indifferent response.

“If you two don’t shut up, I swear I’ll kick both of your asses,” comes Dell’s threat from somewhere in the dark.

I know not to mess with him when he’s tired. He can be extremely grumpy and kinda scary. I turn onto my side, facing away from Gakupo and instead staring at the wall. Now I don’t feel tired at all anymore, thanks to him. I’m in a strange bed, so it’s hard to get comfy. I can also still feel Gakupo’s eyes digging into my back. Oh, I can’t wait to wipe that smirk off his face tomorrow.

“Well, goodnight to you too, Kaito-kun~” the purple-haired boy purrs, in a sing-song tone.

Biting my tongue, I screw my eyes shut and try not to scream more curses at him. Tonight is going to be one hell of a long night.

…

The bright sunlight seeping through a crack in the curtains brings my slumber to an end. A complaining mumble passes my lips; squeezing my eyes shut tighter, I roll onto my side and try to ignore the blinding rays. The distant thudding of what can only be a bassline suddenly fills the room, and a surprised gasp escapes me, waking me up properly this time. My eyes open wide as the pounding sensation grows stronger. It doesn’t take long to realise it’s coming from the bathroom.

“Geez, what on earth…?” Dell’s sleepy question croaks out from the other side of the room, his voice low and full of confusion.

I run my palm down my face, taking in a deep breath. I had such a good sleep after all that fighting last night and now this is what I wake up to. I shuffle onto my other side to look at my bed; Gakupo isn’t there, and it clicks immediately that he’s the source of the now ridiculously loud dub-step music. My head explodes with instant rage. “That fucking asshole!” I growl, shoving the bedsheets off myself and pouncing up from the bed.

“Who the hell does he think he is?” Dell sounds as annoyed as me, except he seems to be lacking the energy to rush toward the bathroom door.

I storm up to the door and begin banging as loud as possible. “Gakupo! Turn that music down, you damn inconsiderate dickhead!” I raise my voice in hopes that it’ll reach through to the other side. He must be using his phone to blast the music. Doesn’t he realise how dangerous that is? Not that it’s the most important thing right now…

Excepting a response, my foot taps at a fast tempo off the floor. Before I know it, the door has been swung open and Gakupo pokes his head out. The bass vibrations become a lot more intense in that moment, and the melody of the music makes itself more prominent, not to mention dangerously loud. He’s dripping wet, a towel slapped over the top of his head, and his bare chest showing. I reel back, stunned at the sight – what the hell is wrong with me?! It’s like embarrassment has slapped me in the face and stole my voice-box in the process.

“Do you mind _not_ tearing the door down?” comes his irritated scoff. “I’m trying to get a shower in peace here.”

“I- I-!” My fists clench and I’m in a fighting stance, but all my anger gets caught up in my throat. “Do _you_ mind not-...” Something is seriously wrong with me. I find that my eyes wander down his body without a second thought.

“Kaito-kun?” Dell pipes up from behind me, expecting more than that. They both know I’m staring right now. Why am I staring?

I shake my head in a panic, mentally slapping myself. “Do _you_ mind not blasting that god-awful music?” I finally retort, throwing his own words back in his face with a twist.

“You Oak Valley kids are seeeriously out of it,” Gakupo snorts, locking eyes with me. He must be referring to when I was gawking at his chest. “If you can’t stand a little music in the morning, why don’t you go find somewhere else to sleep for the week?”

“You- Y-You can’t just-!”

“I can, and will.” He quickly cuts me off and promptly slams the door in my face without another word. The booming bass retreats back within the confines of the bathroom along with him.

I stand there for a good moment or so, unable to believe that really happened. Slowly turning around, I groan quietly and pace back toward Dell’s bed, keeping my eyes low because I can feel that I’m being watched.

“You know, Gakupo-san kinda has a point,” the silver-haired boy pipes up. “Why were you staring at his naked body, man?”

“I wasn’t!” I defensively snap, my cheeks now burning.

“Whoa, don’t bite my head off,” Dell snickers. “Just asking. It was a bit… you know, weird...”

“Like I said, I wasn’t.” I lower my voice so that I don’t lose my temper any further, wriggling myself out of my night clothes. I _was_ though, wasn’t I? I have no idea what came over me. It’s like my mind went blank for a split second and I lost track of all my thoughts. Once I regained control over myself, I found that my eyes were digging right into him.

“Sure, whatever you say,” Dell finally sighs, apparently deciding to leave it alone.

I spend the next few minutes getting changed into my school uniform in silence, pushing that weird situation to the back of my mind. The dark corners of my strange head can suck that uncomfortable moment into the void for all I care. I never want to recall that terribly humiliating occurrence again. After finally getting ready for the upcoming first event – or, as ready as I can be – I signal to Dell that we should get a move on.

“You still got the recipe sheets, Kaito-kun?”

Upon hearing my friend’s casual question, I send him a nod and move over to his bed for a moment. Approaching the bedside table, I shuffle through the bits and pieces before taking hold of the paper we used last night. “Got ‘em,” I respond, holding them up with a wave.

The bathroom door creaks open – Gakupo strolls out of the room, fully dressed this time. Restraining from rolling my eyes, I ignore the purple-haired prick and walk over to Dell instead. I hand my friend the sheets of paper, affirming that we’re good to go.

“Good luck for the first event, ladies~” Gakupo’s cocky words ring out from behind us. I don’t even bother to look back at him. “You’ll definitely need it.”

Rather than using words, my middle finger does all the talking needed as Dell and I leave the room. He’s only been here one night and he already knows how to get under my skin. I’ll give Mahogany Creek students one thing; they’re scarily good at analysis. That’s why trying to play it cool and appearing confident will throw them off. They won’t be able to read us and tell that we’re terrified on the inside if we just don’t show it.

There’s no more time to waste on those weirdos, anyway. Time to fight with all we got.

…

Standing in front of the newly dubbed ‘Baking Station’, thanks to the ‘genius’ Ms. Yuzuki, things are just about to kick off. The cooking class in Oak Valley isn’t exactly all fancy, and it isn’t even all that spacious, which is why I suppose the Principal of Mahogany Creek wants to spruce things up a bit. There are plenty of tables and ovens for a fifteen-man class, but since there are two teams facing another two teams, we’ve been given designated corners while a bunch of students are gathered outside to watch.

The scent of the wood furnished counters is always the same. Refreshing but overpowering, especially when anxious. Normally there’d be the scent of freshly baked bread clashing with everything else, but not this morning. It’s about 11am. Mr. Hiyama has given us only one hour to get everything done. I guarantee I’m going to be running about like a headless chicken at this rate.

Scanning my eyes over the room, I take note of which team stands where, and properly take in their appearances. My friends and I are in the top left corner of the room; Lily and her followers are opposite us over on the right. Directly on the other side of the room to us, I can see Gakupo and three other unfamiliar students. A boy and a girl with the same shade of light blonde hair, who I can only assume to be twins… And another girl with bright green short hair, who’s currently chatting to Gakupo while twirling a lock around her fingers.

Gulping, I quickly set my sights on the group opposite Lily’s. Their backs are turned so I can’t really make out their faces, but there’s a girl with dark blue hair, sort of similar to mine. Standing in the middle are two more girls: one with bobbed purple-ish hair with two long strands running down her back, and the other with about the same length hair, only hers is a much darker shade. Finally, there’s one more girl with light purple pigtails. They don’t look as cold and standoffish as Gakupo’s group, but they certainly don’t look like they’re about to go easy on us.

“Alright everyone,” Mr. Hiyama speaks up, in a loud enough voice to catch our attention. “Please make your way to the counters next to us and take the ingredients you need.”

“Ah-ah, don’t forget! It’s called the ‘Food Frenzy Station’!” Principal Yuzuki corrects him, wagging her finger. She is the exact opposite of Mr. Hiyama, which is indeed an odd thing to witness. She’s bright and cheery, and it makes me wonder why that attitude isn’t projected onto her students.

“Ye...yes, the, uh… ‘Food Frenzy’ Station, indeed.” Coughing awkwardly, it appears he doesn’t know how to respond to that.

“You all know the drill?” Neru double checks our game plan, in a quiet enough voice so that no one else but our group can hear.

“Mhm,” Miku softly says, giving a nod.

That’s right, a sort of plan was devised last night. To make things easier on us, we each agreed to grab one type of food group each. Neru will be taking things like rice, noodles, potatoes and small bottles of spices. Dell should be taking one half of the vegetables we need, while I’ll be taking the other half – last but not least, Miku is in charge of the meat and fish. This _should_ make the whole process a lot easier for us.

When Mr. Hiyama allows us to move, we put the plan into action. There is indeed quite the variety of delicious fresh ingredients all stacked up on the counter, sorted into an ordered line. I don’t think I’ve even seen half of the things lying there, but I grab whatever I can. The brightest veggies are easy to spot; I take peppers, different shades of lettuce and cabbage, carrots and pretty much whatever else I can carry.

It takes around five minutes for each group to take what’s needed. Now that we’re almost ready, I can feel the pressure building. When I take my final trip to the ingredients counter, I can’t help but notice that Fukase is holding the same kind of ingredients in his arms as me. Raising a brow, I wonder if I should be concerned about this or not.

Letting out a huff, I shake my head and decide not to make a big fuss over it, nor do I make eye contact with the red-head. I return to my friends and we swiftly rearrange ourselves to spread around the counters, each of us taking one of the four sections to the table. This way, we’ll have our own individual space and won’t be getting in each other’s way during cooking. Although, looking down at my individual space, there’s a whole bunch of things in front of me. I don’t know where to start first.

“Alrighty kids, time to get ready!” Ms. Yuzuki enthusiastically belts out, which slightly startles me, since the room _had_ been mostly silent. I turn my head to look over at the teachers, seeing that they’re setting up a timer now. “Good luck to both teams! Remember to do your best and don’t worry!~” Easy for her to say, she just has to watch.

With that, she pulls her hands back from the timer and pops the trigger on a toy gun which shoots out a mini flag with the words ‘GO! GO!’ printed onto it. Some kind of kiddie music begins to blast out through the speakers – must be some sort of motivational bullcrap. That’s incredibly distracting, but alright.

I turn back to my friends; Neru is already holding back a derisive laugh.

“Man, she’s totally lost it…!” the tomboy hisses under her breath, cracking up.

“You’ll pop a vein if you try to hold your laughter back,” I casually remark, noticing how red her face is becoming.

“Come on, it’s time to focus, guys.” Miku attempts to take control of us while we goof around, a stern look on her face. She can be serious when she wants. It’s wise to listen to her.

“Yeah, c’mon,” Dell is in agreement.

Neru finally releases the breath she’s been holding in, sighing heavily. The giggles must’ve spared her, for now. “Alright, alright. I’m gonna make some kick-ass sweet balls!” she proclaims.

This draws the attention of Principal Hiyama, as he yells out. “Neru Akita, none of that foul language in this classroom!”

“Wh- But- Not like dudes’ balls!” Her protests only dig her deeper into the grave…

“Enough!” He gives a final warning, bellowing in a much more fearsome tone. The girl instantly zips it.

Some quiet laughter comes from the right side of the room. I don’t even need to look to know who’s making fun of Neru this time. Slowly shaking my head, I turn my attention back to the recipe and ingredients. Okay, time to do this.

Scanning my eyes briefly over the recipe, I make a grab for the bottle of oil first. The pan has already been set up on the hob, so all I have to do is turn on the heat and pour in the oil. Easy enough, right? I tut lightly to myself, thinking this’ll be easy-peasy. Now, the recipe doesn’t exactly specify which heat to use, so… “Hmm,” I hum, leaning down slightly to get a closer look at the settings. I spin the dial to a setting which I believe is good enough, nodding in affirmation to myself.

Looking to my friends, I firstly notice that Neru is having one hell of a good time. She’s wrist deep into a bowl of what appears to be the rice dough mix, her fingers covered in white powder, and her tongue stuck out in full concentration mode. Dell is less energised and rather more precise, carefully cutting some tofu into squares. Finally, Miku appears to be the most relaxed out of all of us. She’s engrossed in her own little world of chopping with an array of bright vegetables and peeling some shrimp.

I’m somewhere in the middle of being slightly precise and focused. It’s hard to carefully aim my knife at the smaller ingredients, worrying I’m going to accidentally chop a finger off or something. Slowly, I’m able to form a pile of onion pieces, garlic and ginger. Pouring the oil into the pan at last, I’m met with a pleasant sizzling sound, so I toss the onion and garlic in, which intensifies the sizzling. The room is starting to get hotter and hotter by the second, as one by one more pans are turned on. This stupid music beeping away in the background isn’t helping.

I scan through the recipe again, catching sight of the instruction to chop up the carrots, green beans and cabbage. Groaning lightly, I begin to do so. This is so much more work than I first anticipated. All sorts of smells are already hitting my nose, which must be from the Mahogany Creek students. It’s hard to deny they’re probably way better at cooking than us. Let’s hope I don’t make a fool of myself.

…

The overwhelming stench of something burning fills my nostrils, and probably everybody else’s, as well. I am a flustered, hysterical laughing mess when the principals of both schools start off with me and my friends to judge. Smoke spews out of the pan in front of me. “It’s okay, Kaito-kun. It was your first real try...” Miku tries her best to reassure me in a low whisper.

I’m not the only one who’s failed miserably, though. Neru’s dessert is half-brown from too much time in the pan, except instead of being embarrassed and owning up to her mistake, she’s acting as though there’s something wrong with the oven.

Clipboards at the ready, Ms. Yuzuki and Mr. Hiyama approach Miku’s bowl first. Her rainbow stir-fry has come out perfectly. The ‘rainbow’ part certainly stands out; the aromatic scents battle with the burning stink in the air. There are also some noodles piled into the bowl, mixed in carefully with shrimps. The teachers take some chopsticks and prod them into the bowl, pulling out strands of noodles, shrimps and some vegetables. Their eyes light up after swallowing.

“Excellent work, Miss Hatsune,” Mr. Hiyama nods in approval, filled up with obvious pride. “I told you this one wouldn’t disappoint, Ms. Yuzuki.”

“Ooh, indeed, indeed!” The woman happily agrees. Well, at least our principal sung praises for some of us. “Now, what do we have here?”

I gulp, realising they’re coming straight to me next. Don’t panic, Kaito. The chicken is only a _little_ bit burnt. Well-done, that’s all. “Uhh… I have some manchow soup with chicken,” I answer, playing it as cool as humanely possible. They might be able to see the sweat pouring down my face, however.

The two teachers exchange unimpressed glances. I sink down, disappointed in myself. They hesitantly dip their chopsticks into my bowl of soup, pulling out some green veggies that were once bright but now dull. Ms. Yuzuki has a subtle grimace pull at her face, only for a split second, but long enough for me to take note of. That can’t be good. “Hmm, yes… W-Well, that should do. Thank you, Kaito.”

“H-Huh?” My eyes widen in disbelief. They only had one tiny bite…!

They move onto Dell, who receives some average praise for his pan-fried vegetable dumplings. They find that a couple of them are soggy rather than crispy, which they don’t hesitate in pointing out. Then they move onto my dear friend Neru. The way she worked for the past hour was with nothing but confidence, excitement and all that crap. Even though she _knows_ it’s mostly all burnt, she presents them with a wide grin.

“Are these… some sort of chocolate…?” Ms. Yuzuki treads lightly, not wanting to hurt the girl’s feelings. She pokes her chopsticks against the dessert ball. It jiggles in discomfort. I know the feeling.

“Say what?” Neru blinks in confusion. “No, no. These are colourful sweet rice balls. Look, see how that one’s pink?” She points toward one of the balls, which sure enough looks kind of pink, but mostly charred.

Mr. Hiyama lets out a lengthy groan. “I see. Thank you for trying, Miss Akita.” The two teachers scribble down some notes for a couple of moments, before shaking their heads and moving over to Gakupo’s team.

“Well, shit,” Dell quietly hisses, once they’re out of ear-shot. Lily and SeeU are over at the other side of the room, grinning devilishly from ear to ear.

Neru lightly slams her palms against the counter, a scowl plastered on her face. “Those peppy bitches are loving every minute of this,” she growls in disgust.

“D-Don’t worry, everyone...” Miku softly smiles. “I made plenty stir-fry for all of us. And they didn’t even bother to try Kaito-kun’s soup… I’m sure it tastes just fine. We still have a lovely meal prepared.”

Miku’s words always make me feel better. “She’s right. It’s better to stay positive anyway,” I shrug. Sure, part of me wants to be more optimistic… But I really don’t hold any faith at all in Lily and her friends to pull this off for us.

“Oh, this is rather strange.” When Mr. Hiyama’s puzzled statement is heard, everyone in the room turns to look right at him. The two teachers are sort of blocking the way, but once they shift aside for everyone else to get a glance at, it’s as clear as day.

“What the hell kind of sick joke is this?” Neru is the first to break the silence.

I don’t believe this. No, I literally cannot believe this. The twins have presented a flawless bowl of rainbow stir-fry and manchow soup, bearing innocent, proud smiles. The green-haired girl is happily holding out a pyramid stack of bright, perfectly shaped sweet rice balls. And Gakupo himself is the one who’s showing off his fully crispy vegetable dumplings. I’m gobsmacked, not knowing how I’m supposed to react to this.

“I could ask you the same thing...” Gakupo glares over at our group. “Akita, right?”

“You totally ripped off our ideas!” Dell throws out the accusation, sparking a defensive reaction from the opposite team.

“Woah, woah. Time out!” Ms. Yuzuki holds her hand up, stopping us just before we start all screaming at each other. “Obviously, there’s been some sort of misunderstanding. And while I hate to throw the blame onto your students, Principal Hiyama, I know for a fact my students would never steal a team’s idea.”

Oh, that is rich. I knew she must’ve influenced these overgrown children one way or another. Now I’m starting to see.

“O-Of course, Principal Yuzuki.” Our principal rolls over like a dog and just goes along with every word she says.

“Oh dear, even our own principal is a pushover...” Miku whispers to me. I slowly shake my head, knowing exactly how this will end.

Mr. Hiyama clears his throat and heads to the centre of the room. “It appears there has been some espionage in the works, which has resulted in the theft of Gakupo’s team recipe.” He sends a not-so-subtle threatening glance to Neru, causing her to cover her face in embarrassment.

“H-Hold on, this isn’t right…!”

“Dell-kun, what are you doing?” I immediately try to stop him from confronting the fiery dragon head-on, but it’s no use.

“Please do not interrupt me, Mr. Honne.” The principal is slowly approaching hardcore punishment mode, and there’s nothing I can to do stop him from unleashing his full wrath onto all four of us.

“But… But there’s no proof that we stole their idea!” Dell gains more confidence – a foolish thing to do, really. “And why do you automatically think it’s Neru-chan that’s the ringleader of such a scheme?”

“How rude,” Ms. Yuzuki tuts, folding her arms over her chest. She’s pulling our principal’s strings, like a damn puppet. Pushing him further to give us one hell of a harsh punishment. “You won’t let him speak to you like that, in your own school… Will you?”

I turn my head away from this disaster, covering the side of my face so that the other students in the room won’t be able to dig their judging stares into me. My best friend is too far gone.

“Absolutely not,” Mr. Hiyama huffs. The big boy pants are on now. “I will not tolerate that attitude any longer, Dell Honne. Now be quiet, before I disqualify _both_ Oak Valley teams from the next event of today.”

“What?!” Outrage immediately comes from Lily and Oliver, yelling out in unison.

“That’s not fair at all! Shut your stupid mouth, Honne!” Fukase joins in on threatening the silver-haired boy.

“Yeah, don’t ruin it for us just because you wanna defend your pathetic girlfriend…!” SeeU gets in the last cry of anger, before being cut short by Mr. Hiyama.

“Now! If we’re done acting like children...” he starts. I lift my hand away from my face for a second just to get one look at him. He straightens out his jacket, regaining his composure.

Dell’s cheeks are stained a nice pink. It seems he’s tried and failed to say his piece.

“What a messy school,” Gakupo remarks. Now it’s his turn along with his group to have their input. That’s when I notice. The entire time, that other group in the corner has been quiet. I almost forgot there was a second Mahogany Creek team, because they’ve literally said nothing ever since this broke out. It’s kind of strange. They’re just sort of huddled together, backs turned away from the fighting, appearing to be whispering amongst themselves.

“In light of this discovery of theft, I have no choice but to hand the win over to the Mahogany Creek team,” Mr. Hiyama announces. I shouldn’t be so stunned, because I know it had been coming, but… Damn it! This is totally rigged!

More frustration-filled sighs and grunts come from Lily and her friends; SeeU stomps her foot off the ground, turning her back away from the teachers. “Thanks a lot, thieves!” Fukase blurts out.

“Mr. Hiyama, you didn’t even look at our food…!” Lily tries to catch his attention, to no avail. Her voice is painfully strained – the sickly sweet tone obviously forced. “You can’t punish all of us just because _some_ of us cheated.”

Neru seems to be crushed. There’s a sullen expression on her face, her eyes currently averted away from all of us.

“I’m very sorry for the trouble, Lily,” Mr. Hiyama finally says, with an apologetic shrug. “Maybe next time, our two teams can communicate more beforehand. I’d hate to see this happen again. Speaking of, this event is now officially over. A huge well done to Mahogany Creek.”

Gakupo’s eye catches mine just as he turns around to face his team. There’s that same smug look sparkling in his eyes… He’s doing everything he can to get under my skin…! This can’t be a coincidence. Or maybe they really did choose the same recipes as us, and since Oak Valley’s principal loves to kiss ass…

“You are all dismissed. Miss Akita, Mr. Honne, please follow me to my office first.”

“Ugh, _fuck_ this...” Neru mutters under her breath, trailing after Mr. Hiyama. Dell gives us one last sigh before following the girl.

That leaves just Miku and I. This has been the worst day ever… and it’s only been an hour. The students begin to make their way out of the classroom. Although I want to get in Gakupo’s face and tell him off for being a dick yet again, I find my gaze wandering over to the second team of girls. There’s something about them… I can’t quite put my finger on.

“That was so stressful,” Miku whimpers, pouting. “I hope Dell-kun and Neru-chan aren’t in too much trouble...”

“Hopefully not,” I sigh, lowering my eyes for a second. Oh wait, that doesn’t exactly sound reassuring, does it? “I mean… I’m sure they won’t be. C’mon, don’t frown, Mi-chan...”

Miku attempts to smile but it looks like her confidence has been shattered. “I just… hate having these Mahogany Creek students around… They’re all jerks.” We’re the only ones left in the classroom now.

“Tell me about it,” I lightly chuckle in agreement. “How ‘bout we wrap this food and place them into boxes? It’ll keep it warm for when Neru-chan and Dell-kun meet back up with us.”

The teal-haired girl nods in response. And with that, we begin to wrap the food up. All that’s left to do is try and move on from such a horrific failure, and keep our heads high for the next event in the afternoon.

**...**


	5. Chapter Four - Dirty Tricks

Lunch doesn’t go down as well as other food has before. The food made earlier isn’t even that bad after all. My soup sort of stings the throat and the inside of my mouth as it goes down, pinching my taste buds from a generous helping of salt. The chicken is hard but could be worse. Still, I can’t bring myself to enjoy it after all the trouble it caused.

Miku holds another piece of crunchy broccoli toward my mouth with her chopsticks, a motherly grin on her face. “Come on, take another bite~ There’s plenty to go around,” she insists, with a giggle. Why is it I feel like a baby right now? She’s given more bites of her stir-fry to me than the others, which is okay on its own but the fact that she’s feeding it to me is ever so slightly embarrassing.

Rolling my eyes playfully with a smile, I accept the bite. “Ahh...” I open my mouth wide to let her drop the vegetable in. I start to crunch away at it, mouth closed now.

Sitting opposite us on the freshly cut grassy fields is Neru and Dell. Neru currently has her knees pulled up against her chest, slouching her back with a downtrodden expression slapped onto her face. She’s been in a sour mood ever since she left Mr. Hiyama’s office. Can’t say I blame her.

“Um, you can have some more if you’d like, Neru-chan...” Dell awkwardly mimics Miku’s movements, scooping up a soggy dumpling on a wooden spoon and holding it out to the tomboy.

She drags her gaze over to the dumpling in front of her, letting out a sigh. “Nah… You have it. I had the second last one. I don’t wanna take the very last one from you,” she politely rejects him. “Besides, I’m, ah… not that hungry anymore.” The bowl full of sweet rice balls has barely been touched. I was able to pick out maybe one or two that weren’t overdone, but that’s about it. It’s a shame though, because Neru hasn’t even tried one herself.

The bowls are soon as empty as they can be. We shared out the stir-fry and dumplings between us the best we could, and even though we could’ve ate more, it seems our appetites are all gone at this point. A gloomy atmosphere hangs over us. Our confidence as a team has taken a huge blow. There’s three hours until the next event; this one is another creativity contest, this time a woodwork category. Dell said last night he’d lead this one too, as he has a knack for art and has even tried his hand at some woodwork in the past. We should be planning right now. However…

Dell releases a soft sigh, pressing his hands behind him into the grass and leaning back a bit. “Well team, what should we do now?” He finally brings up the matter of the next event.

Naturally, I don’t have much of an enthusiastic response. “Is it time to withdraw yet?” I half-jokingly suggest, slouching forward to rest a palm against my cheek.

Miku reaches out to grab the bowls from Neru and Dell, gently stacking them up into a neat pile, speaking while she does so. “How about we see what the next event is like first before we throw in the towel?” She has a more light-hearted proposal.

“Sure, but if Lily and her clown crusade laugh in that witchy tone at me one more time, I can’t be held liable for what happens to them,” Neru scoffs, and I don’t think she’s joking this time.

“Eh, that’s fine by me,” Dell simply shrugs. The wind outside has started to pick up a bit compared to the warm air this morning. The goosebumps showing up on my arms indicate it’s probably time to head back inside and get down to business.

“I’d prefer if you didn’t end up in the principal’s office again,” Miku laughs, a hint of shyness in her voice.

I can’t help but stick my nose in, arching a brow. “How did that go for you, anyway?” I imagine it didn’t go smoothly. I’d have hated to be locked in a small room with that man, knowing his hellfire has no boundaries.

Neru and Dell exchange concerned glances, a sweat drop running down Neru’s face. Their faces momentarily flash with fear, similar to that of a ‘nam flashback. Their lives must be racing before their eyes as they recall the horrors. “I-I’d rather not talk about it,” Dell trips over his words a bit. Must have been some serious yelling.

“Well...” Miku coughs lightly, pulling her phone out and checking the time. She shifts the conversation to something less sinister. “It’s almost 12:45. Should we head inside and find an empty classroom to do some planning in?”

“Ughhh...” Neru buries her head into her legs, yanking her knees closer so that she’s curled up into a pitiable ball of rage. “I don’t wanna do this B-S any longer.”

Giving a defeated shrug, I suggest we remain seated for another fifteen minutes or so, and to try and help our hot-headed friend calm down. It’s been a tough day for us all – it’s okay for the pressure to get to us sometimes. Just as long as we’re always there to support each other.

Dell draws Neru out of her anger bubble, getting the girl to pull her head up and actually make eye contact with us again. Just as she’s finally beginning to relax, we’re approached by two unfamiliar students.

“Hey there…!” A girl’s voice interrupts our conversation.

I turn my head to the side, darting my eyes about to pinpoint the source of the disruption, wondering if they’re _actually_ talking to us or some other group. It turns out there’s a boy and girl walking straight over to us, and as they come closer, I’m able to piece together who they are. The blonde-haired twins who are part of Gakupo’s team are waltzing toward us all casually, as if they have anything meaningful to say.

“R-Remember to stay calm, everyone,” Miku speaks up with a hint of worry in her voice. She tries to ease the already rising tensions, anticipating something bad may happen.

Sure, I’ll be calm. If there really _is_ a way to politely tell someone to piss off. Narrowing my eyes, I watch as they stop just a few steps to the side of our group. “Well, well. If it isn’t Mahogany Creek students,” I say, entering defense mode. Folding my arms over my chest, I make it clear right off the bat we’re not interested. “Whatever it is you have to say, it’s not important and we don’t care, so you better just leave, alright?”

The male throws his hands up, signalling that they may not have come for a verbal boxing match after all. “Whoa… I know you have every reason to be defensive and untrusting of us, ‘cause we’re supposedly enemies and all… But I can assure you, we don’t want things to be that way.”

“It’s best if you just walk away,” Miku speaks up. Even she wants them to leave, after learning exactly what they’re like. “I mean… m-maybe you guys are nice and all, but...” Her words trail off as I give her a sort of disapproving look. She doesn’t have it in her to be completely rude. That’s why I have to keep her on the right track, so she doesn’t get hurt by getting her hopes up.

“And like Kaito-kun said, we don’t care what you have to say,” Dell adds, before nudging the tomboy beside him, but without taking his eyes off the new pair. “Isn’t that right, Neru-chan?”

Neru doesn’t respond, which is totally unlike her. Pulling my eyes off the twins, whose motive I still don’t understand, I flick my gaze to my friend for a moment. That’s when I see that sparkle in those orbs of hers. Her lips slightly parted, she’s gazing up at the male twin, in her own little world. It’s not hard to tell what’s going through her mind right now – I feel my heart sink in my chest.

“Neru-chan…?” Dell repeats, this time glancing over his shoulder at her. He snaps his fingers in front of her face a couple of times, bringing her back to earth from cloud nine.

“Sorry, we really don’t want to cause a fight,” the female twin gently smiles. She gestures to the grass beneath their feet. “Mind if we…?” They want to sit down with us.

I dart my eyes between Dell and Miku, letting them know that I absolutely do not want these Mahogany Creek kids sitting with us. They silently nod in agreement, but when I try to let Neru know, she doesn’t even look back at me. She’s still gawking like an idiot at the boy. This is unbelievable.

“No, go ahead…!” Neru answers for us about a second later, making the decision all on her own, when we _clearly_ expressed through a firm exchange of glances that we _don’t_ want them here. What’s worse is the fact that the usual roughness in her voice has faded away, and has been replaced by a mix between Lily’s levels of two-faced sweetness and Miku’s genuine love-struck babbling.

The twins bow graciously before lowering themselves onto the grass, forming a larger circle. Wow, this totally doesn’t feel weird at all. The male speaks up, and the way they’re both grinning so widely is starting to freak me out ever so slightly. “We’d like to apologise for the unfair judgement earlier,” he starts.

As though they planned this speech, the female twin nods almost dramatically in agreement the second the boy finishes his part. The way they move and talk feels… mechanical. I can’t quite describe it. “We know you would never steal ideas from your neighbouring school. It was just one big coincidence, you know?” Ah, that’s it. She speaks exactly like Lily when she wants a favour from a teacher.

Dell, just as sceptical of this show as I am, makes a point to question pretty much everything they say. Miku remains silent at my side, waiting to see how it’ll unfold. “We?” he repeats, picking out that single word from the girl’s part, as if to ask who the ‘we’ in question are.

Neru now has her legs crossed and palm rested against her chin, intently focusing on the male twin, not saying a word but making it crystal clear she’s listening to each word. Poor Dell hasn’t even realised this yet.

“Yes, my brother and I,” the girl responds, without missing a beat. “Gumi-chan, too. Gakupo-kun is still a bit touchy about the whole thing, but I know he’ll come around soon. He’s so stubborn, that silly boy...~”

Gumi? That must be the girl with the short green hair in their group. And hearing about Gakupo sort of catches my interest, as well. So, he thinks we really did steal his recipe ideas. Wait, why do I care so much about what that loser thinks? I’m sure that’s exactly what he wants me to do.

“It’s very nice of you to apologise,” Neru smiles, apparently accepting their words at face value. How gullible can this air-head get? Doesn’t she know how to recognise lies and manipulation by now, after all the shit Lily and SeeU put her through?

“Of course, of course,” the girl giggles, flapping her hand about as though it’s nothing. “Oh, and how rude of us – we haven’t even introduced ourselves! I am Rin Kagamine, and this is my brother, Len.” She points to the boy, who throws up a peace sign in response.

“Len...” Neru quietly whispers, repeating his name and letting out a dreamy sigh. This is actually kind of gross. I’ve never seen her so… _emotional._ Not in the lovey-dovey sense, that is. “I-I’m Neru Akita. These are my friends-”

“Yes, and we really must be going,” I interrupt the tomboy, unable to take anymore of this utter shitfest. I can only handle so much crap in one afternoon, and I’ve just about had my limit. Neru looks just as disappointed as the twins, the three of them letting out an ‘aww’ in unison. I pull myself up from the grass, and as I expected, Dell quickly follows suit.

“Already?” Rin pouts, the comically large bow on her head drooping. “But we were just about to get to know one another.”

“Sorry, we’re super busy with the trials and all,” I dismiss them further, biting my tongue to stop myself from being _too_ cold. Don’t want to arouse suspicion, after all. I lean down and offer Miku my hand.

“H-Hmm…?” Miku doesn’t seem to quite get what’s happening, but once I send her a subtle wink as she reaches up to take my hand, she lets out an ‘oh!’. She wraps her hand around mine. “Aha~ That’s right. So sorry, you two.”

I use my free hand, sliding it down to her waist, supporting her as I help her up from the grass. It takes about a moment or so before we’re all standing up, which leaves just the twins and Neru sitting there. I keep hold of my girlfriend’s hand, wanting to support her, but also in need of that same support.

“Neru-chan, aren’t you coming?” Dell tilts his head to the side slightly, lowering his glance to her. She isn’t budging from her spot.

“Umm...” She hesitates to answer, nervously looking between us and the twins. I’m shocked that this is even a hard choice to begin with. Then her expression forms into that of a guilty one, before avoiding our eyes. “I’m gonna stay here, actually. It’s a better idea to try and get along with these guys, rather than fighting them all the time.”

Blinking a couple times in a row, trying to process this information, all I can do in the end is go along with her decision. “Fine. We’ll be over in the dorms whenever you wanna come find us.”

“Hmm...” Dell pouts lightly. It’s like the realisation has finally hit him. The betrayal has officially sunk in. I know exactly how he feels. It’s killing me on the inside, too.

“Y-Yeah, okay,” Neru nods, softly stuttering as she turns her focus back onto the twins.

“Well, it was nice to meet you guys,” Len pipes up, giving us a wave as we begin to walk away.

I slowly shake my head, tugging lightly on Miku’s hand, gesturing for her to catch up with me. She’s torn between staying with her best friend and going along with Dell and I. Of course, in the end, she comes with us. I’m left with an empty feeling as we get further away from the fields. Their laughter and chatter fills my ears – they’re acting like they’ve been friends for years already. It soon fades away the more distance we put between them and us, but it echoes in my mind for much longer after the voices are no longer in the background.

“Kaito-kun...” Miku’s soft yet worrisome voice comes out as barely audible.

Dell stuffs his hands into his pocket, scraping the front of his shoe against the gravel with a tut.

“What is it, Mi-chan?” I try my best to speak in the same gentle tone she approaches me with, but it’s hard to not let even a fraction of unexplainable anger seep through.

“Wh-Why is it… I feel like Neru-chan just… betrayed us?” I can tell how much it pains her to even say such words. The fact that she trips over her words and can barely get the question out…

Dell has been silent for the entire walk back to the dorms, but after Miku says that, he has his own input. It’s optimistic, though. “Don’t worry, Miku-chan.” He can answer and wash away all her worries better than I can. It’s best if he’s optimistic and I’m silent, rather than him being silent and myself being pessimistic. “You know those Mahogany Creek kids are slimy. They’ll feed Neru-chan a bunch of lies and she’ll buy it for a while… But then she’ll see they’re full of it and not waste anymore time on them.”

Miku squeezes my hand a little tighter. Being connected at the hands like this almost makes me feel like we’re temporarily linked through heart and mind. That single squeeze transfers a lot more pain than I can comprehend.

…

The next event is drawing nearer and nearer. I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to manage to make something with wood. I’ve taken one or two woodwork classes, which were at the beginning of my first year here, and I dropped out after my hand slipped holding a hammer which subsequently sent me to the hospital for a broken finger. I still shudder whenever I think of that day. Besides, even if that _still_ didn’t give me nightmares, I can’t get past the way the cheap hunks of wood actually feel. The rough edges cause me to break out in a cold sweat whenever my fingernails accidentally brush over them, and I absolutely cannot stand the splinters. Not to mention the unpleasant smell of aged wood and the overwhelming rusty metal of the vices clashing. An instant gag when first entering the room.

Dell affirms for the third time today that he’s got everything under control, while Miku and I lazily trail behind him along the hall. I flick my glance over the edge of the balcony, looking down to the lower floors. Currently, we’re on the second floor of the school, where there are less classrooms and more studying and leisure areas.

“So, where are we going, exactly?” I question, throwing my glance back to my friend.

“Mm… Shouldn’t we be on the way to the library?” Miku adds, a confused hint to her own query.

Dell simply shrugs, his back still turned to us as he leads the way to… somewhere. “We need somewhere to work on both woodwork plans _and_ songwriting.”

I exchange glances with Miku, raising a brow. I echo what she must be thinking, “Don’t we need Neru-chan for music practice?”

“We _do_ ,” he answers with a certain bitterness to his words. “But she’s too busy making friends. We can do this without her for today.”

Miku bites down on her lower lip, chewing nervously. It appears that she wants to say something to defend her best friend, but nothing comes out, most likely to avoid conflict. She lowers her eyes to the floor, which causes me to let an uncontrollable, hurt sigh slip. Maybe she’s as annoyed at Neru as I am too, though. Just makes it all the more unbearable.

“Sure, I guess,” I awkwardly chuckle, giving a non-committal, casual response. I don’t want to let out anything too revealing regarding my thoughts. If I side with Dell and bad-mouth Neru, I could hurt Miku. On the flip side, if I agree with Miku in saying we should wait for her, then I’ll make Dell mad. There’s no winning here this time.

“It’s her own fault if she doesn’t know the song in two days’ time,” the silver-haired boy holds back a scoff, allowing more resentful words to roll off his tongue. I’m starting to understand now. He’s masking his pain with indirect aggression in order to feel better. Reminds me of a certain tomboy. They’re more alike than he could ever know, which is why this feels so frustrating. “If we lose the final competition, it’s on her.”

Ouch, that blame game stings me on Neru’s behalf. Still, there’s not much I can say to that, so I just mumble as an acknowledgement of his musings. Miku sort of does the same, though there’s more of a dark cloud hanging over her head right now.

Finally, we arrive at an empty classroom not far from the library. Dell stops outside the door, scanning his eyes over the whiteboard that’s stuck up on the wall. “Looks like nobody’s scheduled in to use this room for another few hours,” he announces after a moment, before pushing the door open.

Letting out a soft sigh, I step aside to let Miku enter before me, and then I follow after Dell. The inside of the room is small indeed, only two tables rest inside. We gather round one of the circular tables and each take a seat. “So, what’re we doing first?”

“I can let you guys take a look at the woodwork plans I drew up, with...” His words suddenly trail off just as he’s about to say who helped him. Is it possible for the atmosphere to feel any _more_ gloomy? He promptly shakes his head, choosing not to finish that sentence. He instead pulls a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

“O-Oh, you sure are prepared,” Miku says, putting on a slight smile.

“Yeah, we… Uh, _I_ made it a couple weeks ago,” Dell answers, again faltering and mixing up his words. He hastily unfolds the paper, spreading it out onto the table in front of us. A detailed, complex design has been drawn in the centre, with a load of scribbles slapped around in random places – it’s like reading a foreign language. “I’ve had it lying on my bedside table for a while, underneath my lamp.”

Squinting my eyes at the sheet for a moment, I try to make out as many of the scribbles as I can before Dell suddenly snatches it away and turns it over to face him. A pout pulls at my lips. “I can’t make out any of this. Give it back for a sec.” I make a grab for it but he recoils back further with a slight smirk.

“You don’t need to read it, just take a look at the design,” he tuts teasingly.

“Wow! Is it… a birdhouse?” Miku tilts her head to the side a bit, in awe. Dell gives a nod, and her mood brightens up some more. “B-But do we all have to work on it?” Met with a shake of the head this time, Miku relaxes.

“That’s… certainly a challenge.” I’m not sure how to process this exactly. We’ll probably only have an hour or so, maybe an extra half hour if we’re lucky. And this ambitious fool wants to create an entire birdhouse? I suppose I should have a bit more faith in him, though. He’s the creative one of the group. Leaves me wondering what exactly my special talent is…

“I… Ugh,” Dell starts to say something, but instead grunts. “Neru-chan is going to help me with the structure. Kaito-kun, you and Miku-chan can help pass over bits of wood and then later paint over it.”

I can’t help but gulp at that. “You want _me_ to paint?”

“You want _me_ to paint?!” Miku exclaims this at near enough the same time as me, except she sounds way more enthusiastic at the opportunity.

A hearty chuckle passes the boy’s lips. “You two sure are something else,” he says, taking one last look at the blueprints before folding it back up into a small square. Stuffing it into his pocket, he continues. “Anyway, we don’t need to do much planning for that event. I was thinking we should focus on writing our music instead.”

A wave of dread washes over me. I _really_ don’t want to touch an instrument ever again after that terrible music session yesterday. Sure, I know how to play basic notes on a piano now, but is it really possible to learn and memorise chords in just two days? I have no other choice though, of course. Giving in, with a defeated, sour expression taking over my face, I slowly nod.

“That’s a great idea!” Again, I envy Miku’s constant bright mood. Well, almost constant, but… Seems like she’s doing her best to power through this afternoon and remain positive. If only it was that easy for me. I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that _something –_ I don’t know what – is going to go terribly wrong. Probably the music event.

“Uhh...” Dell pats at his lower half, where his pockets should be. “Don’t suppose anyone brought some sheet music and a notepad?”

Furrowing my brows, I stare in mild disbelief at him. “You brought us here to write music, and you didn’t even come prepared?” I can’t believe I’m even asking that. I’m met with an innocent, twitching grin.

“Don’t worry,” Miku interrupts, with a bubbly tone. She swiftly stands up from her seat, her skirt lightly bouncing along with her movements. “I’ll go to the library and borrow some. I’ll go grab some snacks for us too, ‘kay?”

“Mi-chan, you really are too good for this world,” I sigh in admiration. She had me at ‘snacks’. I love this girl.

“Anything in particular you boys want?~” Miku flutters her lashes at me, even though she directs the question to both of us.

“Yeah, I’d-”

“I’d love some cookies,” I find myself interrupting Dell without even being consciously aware, staring up into Miku’s beautiful bright eyes.

“Okay! I can do that!” she giggles, before leaning down to cup my cheeks in her hands. Being so close to her like this, I can’t help but inhale her sweet perfume. She sends a soft kiss to the tip of my nose and pulls away a moment later.

All my tension has melted away. It’s a weird sensation, and it’s completely overpowered me. I release a heavy sigh as I watch her twirl on her heels and skip out of the classroom. When I look back at Dell, he just stares blankly at me, blinking a few times.

“What was all that?” He finally stutters out.

I rub at the back of my neck, my fuzzy head starting to clear up a bit now that Miku has left the room. He’s right – what _was_ that? It felt like she and I were the only ones in the room, making a strong connection… I wasn’t able to pull my eyes off her. I know we’re in love and all, but that was over the top, even for me. It’s like my subconscious had been whispering to me, a soothing voice letting me know everything will be okay… And that I should calm down. That feeling is starting to slowly fade but it’s still nagging away at me. “Not sure.”

“You kinda interrupted me.” Dell appears to be slightly offended, arms folded over his chest while leaning back against his seat. “And, come to think of it, Miku-chan didn’t answer me either.”

“Sorry,” I shrug. That’s all I can offer, as I don’t have an explanation otherwise.

“You sure your girlfriend _really_ isn’t a magical angel in disguise?” Dell snickers, though a hint of his voice suggests he’s only half-joking.

I narrow my eyes, seriously considering that possibility, though only for the duration of about a second. “Haha… Wh-Why am I hesitating to answer that one…?” I whisper as a sort of wheeze to myself, my expression tensing up again. There’s that small, strange spark again. I speak in a more audible voice this time. “No, of course she isn’t.”

The silver-haired boy puffs his chest out to take in a deep breath. “I sounded totally jealous there, didn’t I?” He laughs at himself. Yeah, that reaction to being interrupted and ignored had a childish hint to it, but it’s not like I can say that to his face.

I flap my hand dismissively. “That was rude of us, to be fair,” I reply.

The mood darkens a bit again. This time, the grey cloud hangs over Dell’s head. He slouches forward against the table, pressing his palms against his cheeks. “You were right, you know...”

“Oh?” I’m right about a lot of things, so naturally, I wonder what he’s referring to in this instance.

“I’m starting to understand just how important Neru-chan is to me,” Dell softly admits, although he can’t look me in the eye when he does so.

I keep my eyes fixed on him. I should be gloating right now with him finally giving in. But… I don’t feel like it, given the current circumstances.

“I… I was gonna tell her how I feel today, actually.”

My eyes widen at this revelation. I’m shocked at his sudden massive balls – but soon I understand he no longer plans to tell her. “Y-You still should…!” I’m totally not the best person to give love advice, considering Miku asked _me_ out while I avoided my feelings for months. However, this is different – Neru is at risk of being dragged away from us, while Dell will only continue to suffer if he keeps it bottled in any longer.

“You saw the way she looked at Len-san, right?” A scowl forms on his face, but it’s not directed to me… More like, it’s directed to the charming Len. Not gonna lie, if I was a girl and single, I’d probably be drooling all over the boy, too. _Uh, totally not gay of you, Kaito._

“Y-Yeah...” I awkwardly answer. I had hoped that he didn’t see that at all, actually. Seems he did.

Dell slowly lifts his eyes up to glance at me. The look in his eyes is so… vulnerable. I’ve never seen this side of him before. We’ve grown a lot as best friends over the years. At the age of twelve, we’d be laughing like the immature boys we are over girls, calling them gross and pretending we didn’t like them. This moment right here is such a stark contrast and wakes me up to the reality of who I’ve become now.

“Hey, she hasn’t abandoned us, you know.” I speak in a reassuring tone, taking a moment to be wise and mature, apparently. This is what he needs to hear, though. And it’s true. She’s just been temporarily drawn in by their sly ways. Doesn’t mean she’s leaving us for them. “Things will be back to normal by tonight. You’ll see.”

“Hmm...” Dell quietly hums, lowering his gaze once more. He plops one of his hands onto the table, idly starting to push his finger up and down the smooth surface. “I hope so. I… I think I love her, Kaito-kun.”

A big cheesy grin sneaks its way onto my face. I’ve been wanting to hear those words for the longest time. God, one would think Dell just confessed his love to _me_ with the way I’m reacting. But in reality, I’m just proud that he’s finally manned up and is ready to face the world of romance.

“Oi, why the hell are you grinning like that, you weirdo?” Dell’s face twists into that of disgust, visibly disturbed when his eyes lift up to scan over my expression. “I’m not telling you that I love you…!”

I burst out into genuine belly laughter, frantically waving my hands in front of myself to tell him I’ve absolutely _not_ come to that conclusion. “I just… Wow. I can’t believe it’s taken this long, that’s all.” It’s hard to get the words out between desperate, gasping giggles, but I finally manage it before exhaling deeply. “C’mon, you can’t give up, though. You should tell her how you feel!” I continue to urge him on, throwing him a thumbs up.

He hums again, this time in a deeper tone, and an intense thoughtful look crossing his features. He sucks in a breath, shrugging after a few moments. “Maybe. Let’s focus on today’s event first, though.”

Opening my mouth to reply to that, I’m cut short by the sound of a soft click behind me. I turn my head over my shoulder, seeing that Miku has returned and is carrying several things in her arms. I grin over at her, eyes sparkling as I see the cookies. Never mind being dazzled by my own girlfriend… Nope, just the cookies this time.

“Sorry for the wait!” she lets out a sort of exhausted huff, moving over to the desk and plopping down a whole pile of things before us. She swipes at her forehead with the back of her hand.

“You good there, Miku-chan?” Dell half laughs, brow raised. He pulls himself up from slouching over the table, folding his arms back over his chest instead.

The teal-haired girl lets out a final huff, dropping down onto the seat next to me, flashing a smile. “All good. I just had to dash down to the library below us, because there were no more spare sheets of paper lying around...” Is that a pinch of mild annoyance in her voice? “And then I had to dash back up the stairs to get our snacks.”

Speaking of those snacks, I dart my eyes to them the second she mentions them. I set my eyes upon a pack of cookies, a share bag of chips and of course some dip. Two small pots of different flavours. My mouth starts watering instantly at the sight – lunch time wasn’t that long ago, but the food was so lousy that I’m still hungry. I want to devour all of this right this second.

“I see that hungry look in Kaito-kun’s eyes...” Dell quietly commentates. Although I can’t see his face, I’m pretty sure there’s a smirk pulling at his lips.

“Well, let’s make some progress on our music first, then we can take a snack break.” Miku takes control just for now, a grin on her face, which seems to suggest she enjoys being a leader. Better not let the power get to her head.

Trying to clear my mind of any negative thoughts, and pushing that strange feeling within me aside, I set my sights on the bigger picture once more.

…

“ _And you’ve… set me free..._ ”

I’m left speechless at the end of the song. I don’t have the right words to express the emotions Miku’s incredible voice invokes within me. The fact that she’s come up with the vocal melody in such a short span of time, and that she’s almost perfectly memorised it… How the hell does she manage it?

“Perfect!” Dell happily nods, after a couple moments of silence. Her lyrics are still echoing in my mind.

A light pink stains the girl’s cheeks. “Y-You guys helped out with the lyrics… I just sang them, that’s all,” she giggles, a modest tone taking over.

“Yeah, but it’s one thing to write out lyrics. It’s not that hard,” I say with a smirk, trying to boost her confidence some more. She deserves to feel good after today. “Coming up with an entire melody, and managing to keep in time just by using your head… Wow.”

“Aha… Thank you, Kaito-kun.” Miku accepts the praise, bowing her head.

“Well, hate to break this up...” comes Dell’s sigh. When I turn to look at him, he’s sliding his phone into his back pocket. He must’ve been checking what time it is right now, which I assume means we have to get to the workshop downstairs.

“But we have to go now?” Miku’s bright smile fades a bit, although a bit of positivity remains. “Hmm… I guess Neru-chan must be waiting for us in the event room.”

I tried my best to convince Dell that Neru is still on our side. I even did my best to believe those words myself. However, she didn’t turn up during our practice session. She knows how important this is – after all, she’s the one who signed us up for the Talent Trials in the first place. I just hope that while I’m thinking the worst, she proves us wrong in the final event of the day.

Gathering up the leftover snacks – although there’s really not much waste – I stand up from my seat, stretching my arms out. I’m a little bit sleepy… But I just have to push through a couple more hours. I’m filled to the brim with uncertainty, however, with no idea what to expect for the event.

There’s about ten minutes until the second event begins, so my friends and I hurry downstairs from the second floor. The wood workshop is on the lowest floor, meaning there’s quite a lot of ground to rush across to make it in time. Thankfully, we arrive with about two minutes to spare.

Pushing my way into the classroom, being the first to enter before Dell and Miku, I glance around the room. I steady my pounding heart – I don’t know if it’s nerves or too much dashing around to get here on time, but it’s intense. Mr. Hiyama is standing in the middle of the room, glaring down intently at his wristwatch, with Ms. Yuzuki by his side. She’s greeting each of the students. As I make my way over to a spare desk, Dell and Miku trailing behind me, I notice that for a start – Neru is nowhere to be seen. Pushing aside my irritation, I also see another man standing with the principals, who I assume is a teacher, too.

A tall man stands there with a stern, almost disinterested grimace on his face. He’s even ever so slightly taller than Mr. Hiyama. I didn’t think there could be a man scarier than our hot-headed, unpredictable principal, but this new teacher sure has him beat. His hair stands out the most; a fiery light red ponytail, tightly tied, runs thinly down his back. I pull my eyes from him with a gulp.

When we arrive at the desk, I can hear a small grunt coming from Dell. I know what he must be thinking. I don’t quite understand the extent of his sour twisted expression, until I scan my eyes around the room and take note that, while everyone else is in their respective teams in their own corners, a certain banana blonde-headed, charming twin is _also_ missing from his group.

Before I can catch Rin’s attention, Mr. Hiyama coughs loudly to steal the spotlight, lowering his watch. “Has anybody seen Miss Akita?” he calls out. “And Mr. Kagamine is missing too, it seems. Rin?” He darts his glance to the girl.

“Sorry, Sir,” she nonchalantly shrugs. That’s all she says. So, she doesn’t know where her own brother is… Or is she hiding something? I can’t bring myself to trust the twins, no matter how innocent they try to play.

Mr. Hiyama mumbles to himself in a low tone, forehead creasing. He’s going to have some serious stress lines in his thirties, I can tell that now. “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll have no choice but to-”

“Sorry!”

Just in time, the workshop door is thrust open, causing the majority of us to glance over in that direction. Neru bursts through, gasping for breath, with Len right behind her.

“Akita, Kagamine. You’re late. What is the meaning of this?” Mr. Hiyama asks bluntly, pushing his glasses up.

Neru’s cheeks flush a deep red, and she darts her eyes over her shoulder at Len – the two of them quietly laugh together. I can hear more frustrated mumbles from Dell, a bit louder than last time. “W-We, uhh… I…”

“I had to use the bathroom, Sir. We’re very sorry,” Len speaks up for Neru, who can’t quite get her excuse out.

“Don’t be so hard on them, Mr. Hiyama,” Principal Yuzuki offers a sincere smile to the two teens, letting them off the hook. Mr. Hiyama simply tuts, shaking his head, not wanting to cause any more of a scene, as we’re a few minutes behind schedule now.

I watch as Len sends a wink to Neru as they part ways, and the tomboy casually struts on over to us. Her cheeks are still burning. I can’t help but feel incredibly disappointed. I know I shouldn’t, but god damn it.

Dell rolls his eyes and digs into his back pocket, deciding not to say anything. In fact, even Miku is silent.

“Uhhh… Good to see you too, guys?” Neru appears to be confused at the lack of a greeting. Perhaps we’re overreacting just a little bit. “Sorry for being late. Len-kun was showing me-”

“It’s fine,” Dell rudely cuts her off mid-sentence, through slightly clenched teeth.

The girl simply scoffs. “Alrighty then,” she mutters.

Geez, this tension is almost suffocating.

“Well, now that we’re all here...” Mr. Hiyama speaks up once more, before gesturing to the man at his side. “This is Mr. Kasane, a highly professional woodwork tutor from Mahogany Creek Academy. As this event is based around potentially dangerous work, Mr. Kasane here will be guiding you all and giving you advice on how to properly and safely use the tools in this room.”

He stands with his hands behind his back, giving a little nod at the end of Mr. Hiyama’s introduction. “Yes, that is right. I will be here to make sure nobody gets hurt. If you are unsure on how to use any of the machines, please do not hesitate to ask me. I will show you the correct methods, while retaining your independence,” he explains thoroughly enough. He’s got the deep kind of tone I anticipated. “I am _not_ here to hold your hand or babysit you, so don’t expect me to use the machines for you!”

Yikes. A teacher scarier than Mr. Hiyama. Impossible…!

“Y-Yes, thank you for your speech, Mr. Kasane...” Ms. Yuzuki nervously chuckles, patting the man on the shoulder. “That’ll be all. I’m sure the kids will do their best without too much help.”

“I don’t like him...” Miku leans close to me, whispering as quietly as possible into my ear, a soft whimper escaping her lips.

“Yeah… me neither,” I sigh in agreement. My eyes wander over the shoulder of Mr. Kasane, and land on the back of Gakupo. He’s currently chatting with Len. Why do I get the feeling they’re all working together to try and achieve something horrible…?

The timer is set off by Ms. Yuzuki, who uses yet another toy gun to signal the beginning of the event. There are already a few hunks of wood laid out across the work-desk, so Dell grabs hold of one just as Neru reaches out to pick the same piece.

“O-Oh...” Neru blinks in confusion yet again. Dell doesn’t offer the piece to her, which seems to throw her off. “Uh, I’ll go get the safety goggles and tools, I guess.” Shaking her head lightly, she turns on her heels to head to the back of the classroom – all the cabinets and boxes full of supplies are spread out along the back wall.

“Dell-kun…?” Miku makes a start with a hint of sadness.

The silver-haired boy grits his teeth together, snatching a marker up from the desk and popping the lid off. “I’m not mad at you guys,” he quietly says, before scribbling down some small dashes onto the surface of the wood.

“Yeah,” I sigh. Part of me feels a pang of guilt for acting so coldly towards Neru. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to jump to conclusions, though.” I try to suggest this, only to be met with a bitter remark.

“Huh, well… I’m not forcing you guys to think the worst. I just need to focus right now, and if that means ignoring Neru-chan, then...” With that, he clicks the lid back onto the marker, setting it down beside the piece of wood.

Miku frowns. “But, she’s...”

“Alright, I’m back!” Neru cheerily announces, putting an end to our private conversation. She drops a handful of things we need onto the worktable, including two pairs of goggles, two small handsaws and some other things. “I understand why you guys are so down. I know we totally flunked the first event, but we gotta stay positive!”

That’s not why we’re down. Nevertheless, I’m done being annoyed at her. Dell’s pettiness will smooth over tonight, hopefully. “Thanks for the motivating words,” I softly laugh.

Miku grins along with me, before leaning down against the desk, arms propped up. “So, how long you been into woodwork, Neru-chan?” she wonders.

“Oh, y’know… Not that long, but since Dell-kun went to all the effort of putting the sketch together, I figured I might as well give him a hand,” Neru sincerely answers, although slightly bashful at her low skill level.

“Mmh...” The boy in question just grunts as a form of response, before sliding the marked up chunk of wood to Neru. “Think you can cut down this line?”

“Uhh, sure! No problem,” she nods in surprise. Seems she didn’t expect to actually be put to work so soon. She grabs a pair of goggles, sliding them over her eyes and snapping the band behind her. While Dell starts to mark some more pieces of wood, Neru wraps her hand around the metal bolt of the vice.

Raising a brow, I butt in despite knowing she won’t take my suggestion into consideration. “Um, Neru-chan...”

The girl holds a spare hand up, stopping my in my tracks. Wow, didn’t even get anything out. “I got this, Kai-kun,” she answers, grunting quietly as she firstly loosens the bolt. “Nngh… Gah… Hah! Got it.” With a bit of force, the bolt starts to spin freely, and the vice smoothly opens up. She slips the piece of wood into the vice, lining it up just a _little bit_ off the mark, before spinning the bolt once more to tighten it.

“Well, Mi-chan,” I start, making eye contact with her. “Sit back, relax and enjoy the show.” I don’t mean to have such little faith in Neru, but… She’s already struggling to hold the handsaw correctly. Let’s hope she doesn’t chop a finger off.

“Hmm...” Miku narrows her eyes at her best friend opposite her. That’s the only reaction she gives, and she doesn’t sound too confident. Well, at least we can say we tried in the end.

**...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick thanks for the kudos on this story! I'm super glad people are out here enjoying it, and here's to hoping you'll all enjoy this chapter! How are you guys finding the story? Does anyone think Rin and Len are up to something strange, or are they genuinely being nice? Feel free to lemme know! :)


	6. Chapter Five - Confrontation

_Chapter Five: Confrontation_

Tongue stuck out in hardcore concentration mode, I flick the paintbrush over the last of the rough-cut wood edges. Squinting my eyes, I make sure I’m following the line as precisely as possible, but some of the paint spills over the boundaries. I’m definitely not an artist. A light frustrated groan passes my lips as I make my best efforts to make the finished product presentable enough. A moment later, I feel my paintbrush bump up against something – blinking and snapping out of focus mode, I dart my eyes to the right ever so slightly.

“Ahah, oops…!” An apologetic giggle comes from Miku, and that’s when I realise our paintbrushes have crossed paths and hit each other.

I can’t help but let out a laugh along with her, releasing the breath that I’ve been holding and pulling my hand back. “Looks like we’re just about finished with this,” I say. I mean, considering there’s apparently nowhere else left to paint over if our brushes are crossing. I set the brush down with a light sigh, wiping the beads of sweat from my brow. This whole artist thing is tough work.

“Lookin’ good, guys.” Neru pipes up from the opposite end of the work-desk, complimenting our handiwork. She and Dell are currently sitting, relaxing and taking a break as they’ve done most of the work already.

“Yeah, if you call shoddy and poor structure ‘good’,” Dell bluntly remarks, letting a scoff escape his mouth.

I raise a brow, offended by his direct choice of words. Although really, I shouldn’t let it get to me that much. I’ve been doing my very best to ignore the appearance of the so-called ‘birdhouse’ in front of me during the session, but thanks to the silver-haired boy pointing it out, it’s all I can see now. He’s right. The structure is pretty crooked – the edges barely meet, there are random nails poking out of the top, and it looks as though a ten-year-old put this together. I don’t even want to get started on the bright yellow coat of paint.

“Hey, I asked if you wanted help piecing it together and you told me to go ahead!” Neru huffs in argument, folding her arms over her chest.

“I didn’t think you were incapable of properly lining up the wood,” comes Dell’s low blow.

I turn to look at Miku, silently communicating how fed up I am of all the fighting lately. With one look, she seems to understand; an equally worn out expression crossing her features.

“And what on earth is up with the colour scheme? Bright yellow? _Seriously?_ ” Dell continues to pick at her bad design choices, each question becoming increasingly strained and irritated in tone.

“You also told me to pick whatever colour I wanted!” Neru pulls her arms from her chest and slams her palms against the table, turning to face the boy in one swift motion and drawing attention all at once. She’s in disbelief at his sudden jabs. It seems as though, in her mind, she’s only been doing what she’s been told.

Feeling eyes dig into our area of the room, I clasp my forehead with my palm and let out an embarrassed groan. I turn my head away from the sharp, judgemental glares of the other students.

“I thought at some point common sense would take over, and you’d actually _read_ the blueprints.” Putting emphasis on reading and understanding the plans, Dell shoves said blueprints in the tomboy’s face, pointing to some specific part of it.

“I hope this event is over soon,” Miku quietly sighs, her eyes fixated on the floor. She must be trying to avoid the stares of the students, as well.

“Tell me about it,” I mumble in agreement.

“Huh?” Neru blinks, at a loss for words after having the blueprints practically pressed against her nose. She almost sounds defeated, and for a moment, I think they’re done yelling. That is, until she begins screeching in outrage once more like a wild banshee. “What do you mean yellow was only _one_ of the colours?!” Oh yeah, she’s pissed.

Before they can start up their screaming match again, a loud whistle echoes through the workshop. Saved by the bell, thank God. Ms. Yuzuki’s strange methods of getting our attention signals the end of the allotted time for the second event. It cuts their argument short. In fact, Dell’s mouth is open, a split second away from saying something. Letting out a light sigh of relief, I turn to face the teachers in the middle of the room.

“Alright, seems like things are getting a little bit heated…!” The woman nervously chuckles. Even though she doesn’t directly look our way, it’s painfully obvious who she’s referring to. She releases the whistle from her fingers, allowing it to flop back down to her chest. “Our time is up for today. It looks like you’ve all made some wonderful things, too. Great work, everyone!”

Mr. Hiyama clears his throat, nodding along with Ms. Yuzuki. “Yes, good job, all. Now comes the fun part of judging your work and announcing the winner of this event,” he continues from where she left off. He sends a quick look to our table. “Let’s hope there are no… _bumps…_ this time.”

“Seriously?” Neru hisses under her breath. She’s fuming from that one sly remark already.

I have to admit, that’s pissing me off, too. He’s totally under Ms. Yuzuki’s control. I wish he’d man up already and actually take _our_ side, rather than _theirs._ Just thinking of those smug Mahogany Creek bastards has me subtly throwing a glance to the first team.

The twins look calm and confident, like they know they’re going to win or something. The girl with the green hair appears to be smiling brightly, putting on a friendly facade that I wouldn’t trust for a second. And that purple-haired son of a… _Gakupo._ When I turn to look at him, he’s already looking right back at me with cold, piercing eyes. I’m kind of thrown off by that sharp glare. I certainly hadn’t been expecting him to meet my glance… My heart starts to beat a bit harder.

Jesus, what is wrong with me? He flashes a smirk my way for a split second, which is enough to get me all worked up. “Grr, that… that stupid…!” I quietly growl, frantically shaking my head and turning back to face my friends.

“Is something wrong, Kaito-kun?” I’m snapped out of anger by the warmth of Miku’s hand on top of mine. Her soothing voice causes my irrational thoughts of revenge to disappear in an instant.

“Just… I let all this get to me for a sec,” I answer, half truthfully. I can’t exactly tell her the strange feelings I get whenever I see that purple-haired asshole. Even if I could tell her, it’s not like I fully understand what the hell is going on with my emotions, anyway. There’s no point in letting her know.

She gently strokes the back of my hand, smiling at me. Looking into her beautiful eyes calms my pounding heart and makes me forget my burning desire for revenge… At least temporarily. “I know things are difficult right now,” she says, in a soothing tone. It’s definitely reassuring. “I’m sure things will pick up soon, though. I don’t see how it can get any worse, so try not to worry.”

I simply give a nod, staying silent to really appreciate her words. I’d have lost my mind long ago if I didn’t have this wonderful girl. Sliding my fingers through hers, I grip her hand a bit tighter and set my eyes on the teachers who are currently scribbling away on their clipboards.

“Oh, this is simply amazing!” Ms. Yuzuki gushes over her students’ woodwork, praising every last detail of it. They’re checking out the second Mahogany Creek team – the group of girls who I keep forgetting are even here in the first place because of how quiet they are. I can’t really see what the girls have made, but from what I can see, it appears to be some sort of small wooden chest.

“I have to agree,” Mr. Hiyama nods. “The composition is near perfect. Your prior experience is clear. Especially the fine carving work.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. Sir.” The girl with the hair as blue and deep as the night sky is the first to speak up, gracefully accepting the teachers’ compliments. This is the first time I’ve heard one of them talk, and unsurprisingly, her voice is cool and collected. Mr. Hiyama is right; their experience and confidence shines through in a modest way. That’s what makes them much scarier than the first Mahogany Creek team.

Mr. Kasane follows after the two principals, although he isn’t involved in the judging process. He’s just there to tower over the students and stare into their souls, of course. The three move over to the other Mahogany team, rather than to one of our own teams.

“Ugh, this waiting is killing me,” Dell grumbles, making his inner thoughts of impatience known.

“Yeah...” I mutter in response. The anticipation is kind of stifling. I know there’s no way we’ll win this one, so I want to get it over and done with.

“Ah, wow! Just look at this!” Ms. Yuzuki is overcome with awe once again. She really doesn’t want to make an effort to hide her favouritism, does she? “I think we should definitely add this to our garden back at home. The birds will love it!”

In mid eye-roll of all the sweet talk, I pause upon hearing something about ‘birds’. I dart my eyes over to the teachers, quick to pinpoint the very thing they’re staring at in admiration. My jaw drops open in unfiltered shock, disgust and anger all mixed into one.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…!” Dell is the first to react, choking out a laugh in disbelief.

“I take back everything I just said,” Miku says in a saddened tone, one which breaks my heart to hear.

Things can’t possibly get any worse, huh? Well, it had been a nice thought while it lasted… Because right now, my eyes are set on a birdhouse that’s almost exactly identical to ours, only theirs is far better in structure and colour. All the details match ours; even the cuts of wood are near enough the same size. It’s like staring into a mirror, although it’s a mirror that reflects the perfect version of something instead.

Gritting my teeth together, I bite my tongue and refrain from yelling out and causing a scene. This cannot be a coincidence any more, but it’s best to stay calm and act mature when accused by the principal. However, when I scan my eyes over the team’s faces to attempt to read their reactions, my glance once again locks with none other than Gakupo’s. He sends me a simple wink before turning back to his teammates, and that single gesture is enough to release the hellfire within me.

“I don’t believe this, you’ve stolen our ideas again!” Ripping my hand from Miku’s, I shove my chair back and jump up to my feet, hurling out those words in an instant without thinking. I react on impulse and immediately grab the attention of everyone in the room.

“What is the meaning of this, Kaito Shion?” Mr. Hiyama fiercely demands, lashing right back at me with a lot more force and power to his voice than mine.

I gulp, reeling back, only just realising what I’ve done. Why do I always pull stupid shit like this…?

“Kaito-kun...” Miku pouts at me in a disapproving manner.

“Kaito-kun, I know they stole off us again, but...” Dell grimaces, being the voice of reason this time around. Neru just sits there, oddly quiet, as though she has no reaction at all.

“Hey, what do you mean, we stole off you?” Gakupo spins on his heels to face our group, narrowing his eyes and acting like he’s actually offended.

“Oh, dear. I see what’s happened...” Ms. Yuzuki slowly shakes her head, letting out a soft tut. She sets her clipboard down onto the nearby work-desk, taking a few steps toward our table. The smug aura she’s radiating right now is enough to choke me and make me completely lose my nerve. She picks the poor excuse for a birdhouse up in one hand, holding it close to her face to examine it.

“Not again,” Mr. Hiyama sighs, visibly fed up. “Now, I don’t know what’s going on here, but whatever it is you’re planning, it has to end today.” He doesn’t even bother to address Gakupo and the others, but instead directs his lecture straight to us – or rather, to me, since I’m the only one standing.

“I… It’s just…!” I begin to protest, but can’t find the right words.

“Kai-kun, please sit down,” Neru practically begs.

Of course. The one time I decide to stand up for myself and my friends, no one else wants to join me. They probably want to save themselves the embarrassment, sure. I’d be doing the same, if that purple-haired devil didn’t get under my skin so much.

“I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding again, Sir...” The last person I expect to come to my defense steps up for me. One of the Kagamine twins; the good-looking pretty boy who Neru seems to be obsessed with. He pulls Hiyama’s attention over to him, sparing me for the moment and allowing me to breathe freely.

Ms. Yuzuki scoffs quietly, carelessly tossing the birdhouse back onto the table. A sort of crack follows and it’s a miracle it doesn’t break entirely. “I’ve never felt more ridiculed and insulted in all my life. How dare you try to frame and humiliate my school.” She speaks in a low tone to us while Mr. Hiyama sorts things out with the twins – Lily and her buddies are whispering amongst themselves at this point, meaning we’re most likely the only ones who can hear her harsh words and witness her true feelings. Seeing this side of her doesn’t even shock me. I expected her to do this sooner or later.

Silence hangs between me and my friends. Despite her vile nature finally rearing its ugly head, and despite how I knew this was coming, I still can’t help but feel ever so slightly intimidated in her presence. I want to fight back but it’ll only fall upon deaf ears and possibly result in our team’s disqualification. I slowly lower myself back onto my chair, averting my eyes away from her in shame. There’s nothing worse than being talked down to by a teacher. Especially a Mahogany Creek teacher.

“Oak Valley students are nothing but little worms,” she hisses, continuing to mock us. My stomach turns at her particularly cold tone. “You know you have no chance at winning, yet you still try to sabotage my students and their efforts. I will personally see to it that you misfits are to be disqualified before the music event in two days.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes in her face. She could at least be more subtle with her threats… Then again, Mahogany Creek are known for their direct attacks. They’ve learned from the ‘best’, after all. With a quiet ‘hmph’, the principal turns on her feet and struts back over to Mr Hiyama’s side. I finally let out a loud groan in irritation.

“Can you believe that?” Dell scowls, although not too loudly so that she doesn’t hear. “That was ridiculous…!”

“That was… so embarrassing...” Miku whimpers, propping her elbows up onto the table and covering most of her burning red face with her palms.

“It wouldn’t have been much of a problem if you didn’t flip out like that, Kai-kun.” Neru speaks bluntly with a light huff; from the way she says it, I understand that she’s not outright blaming me and getting on my case, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.

Not wanting to spark yet another argument between us, I simply nod and keep my mouth shut. “Mmhm...” I half-heartedly mutter. I flick my eyes lazily over to the teachers and the other team, who talk amongst themselves for a few more moments. I drown most of it out, predicting what the outcome will be.

Finally, Mr. Hiyama heads to the centre of the workshop, Ms. Yuzuki trailing after him with the usual cheery expression slapped across her face. He holds his hands behind his back, before regaining everyone’s attention. “Well, it seems that there’s been yet another misunderstanding and our students’ creativity has, uh… clashed.” Sure, that’s one way to put it. He lets out a small awkward cough, before continuing his little speech. “And in light of such events, I have no choice but to yet again reward the winning position to Mahogany Creek.”

“Yay!” The green-haired girl happily clasps her hands together, accepting her ‘victory’ in the least modest way possible. “Good work, Gakupo-kun!” She links her arm through his, grinning brightly.

“You too, Gumi-chan.”

“Ugh,” I grunt, tearing my eyes off the team, filled with a terrible bitter feeling.

“This is so unbelievable…!” Ah, it hasn’t taken long for our good friend Lily and her gang to start whining and moaning. The girl’s bleach blonde hair flops around in an almost comical manner as she bangs her clenched fists off the table in front of her.

“They’re like, totally ruining our chances of competing! This is, like… sabotage…!” I’m genuinely surprised this time, at the fact that SeeU even knows what ‘sabotage’ means.

I take in a deep breath and pull myself up from my seat once Mr. Hiyama dismisses us. I’m at least glad that the events are over for today. I don’t know how much more I can take. “C’mon, let’s get out of here,” I say, reaching to take hold of Miku’s hand.

A frown pulling at her lips, she reluctantly drags herself up from her seat and grabs my hand, without saying a word. Her head hangs low – I can’t blame her. This entire day has been a train-wreck, and even then, that’s an understatement.

Not even bothering to take that god-awful hunk of wood along with me, I prepare to leave the classroom. Just as I’m about to make a start, I catch sight of Gakupo strolling past and heading toward Lily. His green-haired friend Gumi follows after him. I raise a brow, following his movement and watching as they start to talk together about something. Whatever it is, it can’t be good.

“Hey, Neru-chan.” Once again, I’m stopped just before I start walking. This time, the Kagamine twins waltz on over to us, and the pretty boy greets Neru directly.

“Ah… H-Hi, Len-kun!” Her eyes light up instantly when he enters the scene. Even after those assholes stole our ideas from us, she still wants to be all nice to them.

“I really did try to straighten things out with your principal, but it seems like he doesn’t want to listen.” A pout pulls at the male’s lips. “I’m sorry if it looked like we’ve taken your ideas or anything… It really was just one big coincidence.” He offers an ‘explanation’ to the rest of us. I don’t know about Miku and Dell, but I’m not buying it. Something weird is going on here and I want to find out what it is.

Rin smiles apologetically beside her brother, nodding along with him in agreement. “I know there’s some pretty intense friction between us all right now, but...” She lets out a quiet laugh. “How about we start over? You guys should come get coffee with all of us.”

I exchange glances with Miku. She subtly shakes her head at me, indicating she absolutely doesn’t want to do such a thing. After today’s mess, neither do I. I then flick my eyes over to Dell, whose expression is signalling the exact same thing. Besides, who does she mean by ‘all of us’? If it involves Gakupo, or worse, Lily...

“That sounds like a great idea.” Of course, right before I tell the twins to get lost, Neru butts in and for some unholy reason, accepts their offer. This infatuation thing she’s got for Len is growing old and she’s only been crushing on him for five damn minutes.

“Great!” Rin giggles. They must be able to see the sour expressions that we’re all wearing apart from Neru. Or are they really that dumb?

Well, since no one else is going to tell them where to go, I suppose I will. “Yeah, it sounds like a great idea, except we’re busy this afternoon.” I continue from where the tomboy left off, inserting the classic excuse.

“Oh...” Rin’s bright smile sort of fades into disappointment.

“We can do that trial bullcrap later.” Neru glares at me, and that sharp look in her eyes is screaming at me, asking me why I’m turning the twins down – as if _I’m_ in the wrong here.

“Oh, if you’re worried about missing out on preparing for tomorrow, then there’s no need,” Len interjects, with a light smile. “We’re all planning on studying over coffee for a few hours until it’s time for dinner. I think it’ll be a nice bonding opportunity.”

Bonding, with the enemy? Wow, sounds super fun.

“I guess we should just go after all...” Miku sounds defeated as she mumbles this to me. Ugh, I hate seeing her so down. She shouldn’t lay down and accept this.

“Fine, we’ll go. But only for an hour or so.” Dell finally gives in, too.

I guess we’ll end up looking like the assholes if we openly tell the twins to ‘fuck off’ and refusing to go along with them. I suppose I don’t want them to make our lives any more miserable over the next two days, either.

Gently squeezing Miku’s hand to let her know it’ll be okay, I give a nod in confirmation. “Sure, let’s get going.”

“C’mon, Neru-chan. Let’s get a head start.” Len playfully digs his elbow into Neru’s side, smirking in a challenging manner. They lock eyes, Neru’s game face taking over. Within seconds, the two of them rush out of the workshop like two little kids.

When I sneak a glance at Dell, I can see the jealousy burning his cheeks. He can tell us he’s mad at her all he wants, but that one expression gives away everything in his heart. Digging his hands into his pockets, he sets off to slowly follow after the two. This is going to end in disaster, I can feel it now.

…

Making an attempt to be friendly towards our rival school feels incredibly alien. Although we’re nearing the coffee shop just outside of campus, we’ve barely said a single word to each other. I’m hanging near the back with Miku, with Dell walking alone in front of us. Neru is up front with her new best friends, and much to my annoyance, Gakupo and Gumi are behind me. The unbearable, awkward silence that hangs between us makes it hard to breathe – it’s slowly driving me up the wall. Just before it reaches boiling point, Len stops in his tracks and faces us.

“Finally here, guys. Rin and I will go get the orders in,” he announces, in a cheery tone.

I glance around the area, taking in my surroundings. I don’t remember the last time I came to this coffee shop – I must have only been here once or twice, a good couple of years back. To the left, there appears to be a path winding down a small hill, leading toward a park of some sort. All I can see from here are some benches.

“Thanks, Len-san,” comes Gakupo’s shockingly appreciative tone. For once, he doesn’t sound all dark and grumpy. “You know the usual for Gumi-chan and I.”

The twin boy gives a nod, before turning his attention to Dell, Miku, and me. “How about you guys? Want a drink?”

“It’s our treat!” Rin adds, a generous glint sparkling in her eye. If these guys were any other Oak Valley student, I’d happily accept their offer. But since they’re… _themselves…_ I’m reluctant.

“I’m fine, thanks,” Dell answers first, dismissively waving his hand.

“Hmm...” Miku thoughtfully hums, glancing up at me. She tilts her head to the side slightly in curiosity. “What do you think, Kaito-kun? Shall we get something to drink, too?” There’s still a light hint of sadness in her eyes, and her general expression is still a bit worn down… But she slowly seems to be perking up.

I give a shrug at this, contemplating it for a moment or two. Sure hope they won’t want any favours in return later. “Yeah, sure. Why not.” I decide to give in, thinking back to what Miku told me yesterday. Maybe if we try to get along, things might get better. Although I’m absolutely _not_ going to try and play nice with a certain purple-headed demon.

Taking a mental note of the list of drinks, the twins head into the small coffee shop about a minute or so later. Neru finally approaches Miku and I. With Gakupo and Gumi chattering away together, I take a moment to question just what kind of game Neru is playing here. If Dell is going to ignore her, and if Miku is going to continue being passive, then it’s down to me as usual to straighten things out.

“See, this isn’t so bad, huh?” The tomboy casually remarks, in a rhetorical manner.

“I… I guess not,” Miku shyly responds, doing her best to not take sides once again.

Flicking my glance over at Dell, I notice that he’s standing a few paces away from the three of us. My eyes end up fixing on his back; he’s holding his phone in one hand, staring down at it and scrolling aimlessly. Lowering my voice so that he doesn’t hear, I try to make it clear how this is affecting Dell’s mood without being _too_ obvious about a certain crush. “Are you going to tell us what the hell this is, Neru-chan? Can’t you see how much this is getting on our nerves – especially Dell-kun?”

Neru blinks, stunned into silence for a second. She genuinely has no idea, does she? “I dunno what you mean, Kai-kun. Isn’t it better this way? To try and be friends with them, so this dumb rivalry comes to an end? It’s childish and I’m tired of it.”

“But you’re hurting us in the process…!” Miku finally snaps, speaking her mind. She keeps her voice quiet, but not low enough so that Dell doesn’t hear.

The silver-haired boy hesitantly turns around to face us, a sour expression plastered across his features. He stuffs his phone into his back pocket, giving a heavy sigh. “Are we really doing this here?”

“Are we really ganging up on me here?” Neru repeats, twisting it slightly to show she’s clearly offended. “I don’t understand what you mean, Mi-Mi. No, I… I don’t understand what either of you mean.” She directs her glare to me this time.

“After all this talk of standing up to Mahogany Creek – all this talk of beating them and being better than them by banding together at _home,_ with your _friends...”_ I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. My words trail off, an irritated sigh passing my lips.

“I think what Kaito-kun means is… After putting so much emphasis on teamwork and working together… Well, we’re struggling to understand why you suddenly want to spend so much time with the opposite team,” Miku continues for me, and she pretty much nails it, echoing the thoughts I can’t get out.

Neru’s face twists into a look of confusion, her eyebrows furrowing. “I just told you… I’ve decided that trying to be friends is the better approach...” Her words falter, barely coming out as a whisper. I feel bad for cornering her and pressuring her for answers this way, and watching her squirm is painful.

“Was that before or after you met Len Kagamine?” Dell scowls, a tut escaping his mouth. Dude, this really is not the time to be bitter over crushes.

“Huh? What about Len-kun? A-Are you trying to imply something, Honne…?!” Neru gradually starts to raise her voice with each question, becoming more nervous and _incredibly_ defensive by the end of it... Until she ends up half yelling, half squeaking, taking a fighting stance with burning cheeks and grabbing the attention of the other Mahogany Creek students.

“Is there a problem?” A male pipes up, interrupting the oncoming verbal boxing match.

Looking to the side, both Gakupo and Gumi are staring over at the four of us. Although Gumi wears a concerned expression, Gakupo’s eyes are sharp and narrow… And I swear he’s directing it mostly in my direction rather than towards my friends.

Neru drops her clenched fist, which I only just noticed is dangerously close to Dell’s face, taking a step back. She lets out a dramatic huff, folding her arms over her chest and turning her back on him.

Miku rubs at the back of her neck, sending a bashful smile to the pair. “N-No, just a… a slight problem with our study schedule...”

I can’t help but groan at her excuse. “I’m pretty sure they heard _all_ of that,” I hiss to her under my breath, letting her know it’s useless to make something up.

“Well what else am I supposed to say…?” She hisses back in a sharper, more fierce tone through gritted teeth.

“Sounds like trouble in paradise to me,” Gakupo retorts, lightly snorting in the face of our petty arguments. He’s also very clearly referring to Dell and Neru. If it takes him just a day to figure out Dell’s crush on her, part of me wonders why the hell Neru is so oblivious. Even now, she refuses to even entertain such an idea.

“Oh, shut your stupid fucking mouth!” She yells at the boy, unleashing her pent up frustrations onto him. I _want_ to stop her, but then again, I also want to see her give him a nice red hand-mark.

“H-Hey, don’t talk to him that way…!” His green-haired buddy, who at this point I assume is his girlfriend, is swift to jump to his defense.

Gakupo simply lets out a hearty chuckle, not at all bothered or taken back by Neru’s typical foul mouth and irrational actions. “Don’t worry, Gumi-chan. Remember, we never let a nobody get under our skin. She’s just sour because she’s losing the competition _and_ her friends.”

Okay, that one was too far. “Hey, you need to butt out of it, dickhead,” I growl, hurling more insults to him. That’s probably exactly what he wants, but damn it, I’ve had just about enough of that smug bastard. “Mind your damn business. And you’re only winning because you cheated.”

“Y-Yeah…!” Miku frantically nods, sticking up for me and supporting my accusations. She mustn’t be able to think up any good insults on the spot… Thanks, so helpful.

“You’re still entertaining that ridiculous idea?” Gakupo lets out a ‘tsk tsk’ noise, shaking his head before laughing quietly again. “Trying to cover your tracks, I see. We all know who the real cheaters are here, Kaito-kun. And trust me… It’s not us.”

This is such bullshit! Is he seriously trying to turn this around and pin it on us?

“How ridiculous!” Gumi holds her head up high. “Mahogany Creek prides itself on hard work, dedication, and most of all – playing by the rules! To even suggest that we’d stoop so low as to cheat, or steal your childish ideas, is incredibly insulting.” She recites some sort of school pride bullshit mantra, and my only reaction is to grimace in disgust at how far up their own asses they are.

“You really think you’re hot shit, don’t you?” Dell spits. He’s getting way more heated than any of us here, and while it’s a bit worrying, I’m not exactly going to be the one to stop him.

“Ugh, all of you, just cut it out!”

Too late, anyway. Neru cries out in a demanding tone, drowning out any further arguments. Each of us quickly zip it, letting go of our tensions… For now.

“Nobody’s cheating, alright? It’s all just a misunderstanding, like Mr. Hiyama and even Len-kun said…!” She takes a few paces forward, taking place as our newly appointed peacemaker, apparently. “We have to try and get along, we have to try and become friends! The Talent Trials are supposed to be about having fun – healthy, competitive fun. But instead, all we’re doing is bickering and driving a wedge between us, and soon it’ll be too late to undo all the damage.”

Motivational as always, Neru, but seriously. This hippie crap is growing _old._

“Ugh, Neru-chan… Don’t you get it?” Miku asks, with a deep sigh. “Even I’m tired of trying to stay neutral and be nice. They don’t respect us at all – they’ve taken all of our ideas so far, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already ripped off our piece for the music show. I don’t wanna be friends with people who can’t even respect me…!” She breathes heavily when she’s finished asserting herself and making her inner feelings known.

I’m proud of her for doing so. Maybe Neru will listen now that our former peacemaker is throwing in the towel. I wrap my arm around Miku to give her some support. “Enough is enough, Neru-chan. Are you gonna come back to us and give this friendly approach up, or are you gonna keep kissing their boots until the trials are over?”

The silence is overwhelming once more. Dell shuffles himself closer to Miku and I, which must be his way of wordlessly saying he’ll let go of his anger and stand by us through this. Now all we need is Neru, and I’ll happily let it all slide if she remains loyal.

The tomboy lowers her eyes to the ground, slowly rubbing her arm up and down, chewing on her lip. The silence from Gakupo is refreshing, but chances are, he already knows exactly what her answer will be – so he’s just waiting for it to end. “Then… I guess I’m done trying...” she mumbles, lifting her glance to meet my eyes.

A wave of relief washes over me. I shouldn’t have doubted her. She’s one of my best friends for a reason. She would never choose people she barely knows over me – over the rest of us, in fact. Miku’s eyes light up upon hearing her decision. “About time,” I playfully scoff, sending a smirk over to her.

Neru, however, doesn’t return a grin or even move from where she’s standing. “What I mean is...” Like the coward she is, she pulls her eyes from mine and looks off to the side. “I guess I’m done trying to convince you and the others, Kai-kun.”

**...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Noooo, Neruuuu... How could you? >:(


	7. Chapter Six - Dreams and Reality

_Chapter 6: Dreams and Reality_

Sliding into a space beside my girlfriend, my exhausted butt plops down hard, a grunt escaping my lips. I set down the small bowl packed with fruit onto the dining hall table, before groaning and releasing a yawn once more. Today has been quite possibly one of the worst days in my life. Well, perhaps not in my life, that’s too dramatic… But still, I have barely any energy left.

The hall is currently populated by mostly Mahogany Creek students, who are taking advantage of the ‘free food station’ that Mr. Hiyama set up for them. Lucky bastards, they get all the best meals for dinner without having to pay a single cent. Although the bigger problem here is just how loud they are. There are many conversations going on around me; the constant chatter is starting to bring on a dull headache.

Pulling my focus from those students the best I can, I turn my attention to Miku, who is leaning forward to open up a box of fresh pizza. The three of us have decided to treat ourselves after such a gruelling day. “Hmm...” The second she uncovers the glorious food within the box, the mouth-watering scent of cheese and veggies hits my nostrils. There are few things that can cheer me up after a dark mood takes over, and of course, one of those things is pizza.

“I say this is a well deserved treat.” Dell appears to have brightened up a bit from this afternoon, or perhaps he’s just forcing a smile in front of us. He reaches into the box, being the first to grab a slice with pepperoni on it.

“Tell me about it,” I scoff in agreement. I wait for Miku to help herself to some food first, before taking a slice of my own. She happily munches away at it, a look of satisfaction crossing her features. Feels like it’s been a while since I last saw her so overjoyed.

Bringing the slice up to my lips, I feel my stomach turn all of a sudden. Amid the silence between us, my thoughts trail off into painful memories of earlier this evening. I’ve been trying my hardest to avoid recollecting that mess, but it seems I’m still in shock. Frowning lightly, I take a small bite and start to slowly chew. There’s nothing left for us to talk about over dinner. It’s all been said and done about a thousand times already, and I doubt either one of us want to openly talk about how our best friend gave up on us so fast. This pizza is starting to taste pretty bad.

A light sigh huffs its way out of me. I rest an elbow on the table, leaning against my palm and idly glancing around the dining hall. Some of the students that were here a few minutes ago have dispersed and moved onto elsewhere in the school, leaving only a small number of occupied tables. My eyes rest on a table where a group of four girls are sitting together. “Hm…?” I quietly mutter, squinting my eyes slightly.

I can’t tell exactly who they are at first glance, since two of them have their backs turned, but the other two are in plain sight. It’s those Mahogany Creek girls… One of them has blue hair that’s as dark as mine; sitting next to her is a girl wearing a shirt that has small stars on it. My eyes normally wouldn’t have been drawn to them out of nowhere, but something isn’t right here. Even though two of the girls have their backs turned, I’m quick to notice that they’re _all_ wearing matching necklaces which have small rubies hanging down from the chains. It’s not like they’re glowing or anything, so I don’t _think_ they’re evil witches – despite how weird they’ve been acting – but still, seeing those necklaces forms a pit in my stomach.

Grimacing, I’m unable to pull my eyes off them; the rubies in particular. I can’t see all the details of the first two, but the other two are easy to scan over. The blue-haired girl’s ruby is shaped like a… tear drop? No, maybe a water drop… And the other girl, with the star patterns on her shirt, has a very fitting star-shaped jewel hanging from her necklace. Why do I get the feeling they’re part of some cult? Eh, no, that’s too dramatic. Still…

“Kaito-kun?” Miku’s soft tone of concern snaps me back into the real world. Darting my eyes away from the four girls, I look to her. “Is something wrong?”

As if he knows where I’ve been looking, Dell glances over his shoulder momentarily, focusing right on the group of girls. A teasing smirk pulls at his lips. “Tut, tut… Kaito-kun, you haven’t been checking out those Mahogany girls, have you?”

My eyes widen in shock at his absurd accusation. I feel the familiar rush of blood to my cheeks, and before I can yell at him, Miku speaks first.

“Mmmh…! Kaito-kuuun, you haven’t have you?” she whines, an over-dramatic pout pulling at her lips. She drags out her words in such a childish way that part of me thinks she’s just messing around, but there also appears to be fire in her eyes.

“N-No!” I’m quick to shut that claim down, sending a threatening glare to my best friend. He just grins widely at me, mouth full of food. How delightful. “I was just… ah...” Well, maybe I was checking those girls out. But not in the way my jealous girlfriend thinks.

“Day-dreaming of things you can’t have?” Dell starts poking fun at me once more. While it’s great to see him smirking and joking away after the disastrous scene a short while ago, I kind of wish he was still in a sour mood so I can avoid the humiliation.

“Kn-Knock it off,” I huff. I’m worrying that Miku is about to think up of ways to murder me in my sleep and make it look like an accident. Letting out a sigh, I steer the conversation in a more serious direction, lowering my voice as to not be heard. “I just kind of noticed… Those girls over there… They’re all wearing matching ruby necklaces.”

Dell narrows his eyes at me, obviously confused. “Um. I don’t get it.” He outright says so.

Miku rubs at the back of her neck, a small laugh passing her lips. “Mm… Me neither.”

Yeah, I knew it’d boil down to nothing. I still have a strange feeling, though. “If they were Oak Valley students, I wouldn’t pay any attention to it at all. But since they’re...”

“Since they’re not?” Miku interrupts as my words trail off, guessing the next thing I want to say.

“Okay, maybe I’m kind of starting to get it,” Dell pipes up, but he doesn’t sound thoroughly convinced as of yet.

Suppose I’ll have to think of a way to convince him, or to at least get the two of them to understand why I’m so weirded out by their cult-like ways. Even if I’m not entirely sure why myself. “They’ve just been acting really weird ever since they got here,” I start.

Miku hums lightly to herself in thought, glancing over to the girls to get a better look. “Ah… Now that you mention it...” Something must’ve clicked in her mind. She points to the girl with stars all over her. “That girl there… With the light purple hair. She’s staying in our room for the trials. I think I’ve seen her wearing that pendant before, but I never really thought much more of it. You’re right, Kaito-kun, she has been acting strange.”

“Strange how, though?” Dell curiously raises a brow, not buying it yet. “Not to get all defensive for them, of course. But… You know, they’re Mahogany kids. Strange is kind of their thing.”

“I guess he has a point,” I reluctantly admit, with a huff.

“Hah, well… y’see...” Miku gently rubs at her cheek with a finger, letting out an awkward giggle. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her take that necklace off. Not even at bedtime.”

By now, my eyebrows are raised, too. Dell’s eyes sort of widen even more, in a state of even more confusion and surprise.

“Her name is, um… Xingchen, I believe,” she shyly continues. “I asked a bit about her friends, but she didn’t say much other than their names. That girl with the blue hair is Una. The other two are Aoki and Merli… They’re sisters or something, or at least, the way Xingchen spoke made it seem that way.”

Hmm. So that’s who they are. They’re a strange bunch for sure. Hearing this from Miku only solidifies that terrible feeling in my stomach. I don’t suppose those necklaces are a way they show their love for a pop band or… maybe some sort of anime…? I’m sure I would’ve recognised the symbols – or at least, Miku would have.

And on cue, the teal-haired anime lover shakes her head. Mind reader, much? “I know some pretty obscure anime shows. Even manga,” she answers.

Dell exchanges glances with me. That makes my throat grow dry. So, even he’s starting to understand now. “So, we can scratch crazy fangirls off the list?” he hesitantly asks.

“Y’know, ever since these Mahogany weirdos have set foot in here, things have been crazy,” I say, stating the obvious. It’s important to reiterate this to the two. Obviously, I don’t want to dive into the deep end and say they’re witches and those ruby necklaces are their source of dark magic. In fact, the conclusion I’ve come to is pretty surface level. “Maybe these girls are behind some of the sneak thief acts that have been going on in the events.”

“Hmm,” Miku ponders. She lightly taps at her chin in thought. “It’s possible, but… How would they get their hands on our plans?”

There’s some silence for a short while as we attempt to come up with a response. Just as I figure I’ve made a baseless assumption, Dell finally speaks up. “Xingchen-san is your new room-mate, right, Miku-chan?”

Miku pulls her eyes up from the table, looking over to him. She slowly nods, and while I’m a bit slow to understand what Dell is getting at, I eventually understand along with her. “Neru-chan and I… Well...” It must pain her to mention her best friend. The wounds are still fresh – the words sting me a bit, too. “We had some of our plans for the events written down. I… I offered up my bed to Xingchen-san to be nice, and she must’ve saw the plans on my bedside desk.” A guilty frown pulls at her lips. Does she think it’s… her fault?

I’m quick to jump in and reassure her. It’s my place, after all. I gently rest my hand on top of hers, giving her a soft smile. “Hey, don’t look so down,” I say. Even if she did carelessly leave the plans out next to her bed, she’s still not to blame. There’s no way any of us could’ve predicted how much of a snake this Xingchen girl is. “You weren’t to know how devious she is. Don’t blame yourself, Mi-chan… We know how stuck up and rude they are, but we didn’t know they’re cheaters.”

“B-But if I just… wasn’t so...” Miku struggles to get her words out, and as she attempts to tell herself off, tears fill her eyes. It’s not just about the plans and cheating at this point.

“Kaito-kun is right, for once,” Dell softly teases me, chuckling in hopes that Miku will cheer up. “Don’t beat yourself up, okay? That’s what these Mahogany kids want. They want you to lose confidence in yourself.”

I squeeze Miku’s hand a bit tighter when I notice that she’s lowered her head in shame. I shift some of her teal hair out of her eyes and run my thumb as softly as I can across her cheek. My heart is pounding rather hard in my chest. It’s beyond painful to see Miku reduced to tears. My sweet, bright and bubbly Miku… All because of Xingchen and those bitchy friends of hers. I’m going to have to confront them sooner or later – I’ll force them to admit what they’ve done. “C’mon, Mi-chan. Let’s get away from here, okay? We’ll go to your room for a bit. We can talk everything over.”

Dell lightly coughs. “I, uh… I’ll leave you two alone, alright? You need some privacy to sort things out,” he says. He really doesn’t have to do that, but… I suppose his mind is already made up. “We can meet tomorrow morning for the academics brainstorm session. It’ll probably be some hardcore math stuff, so we need to get prepared.”

Miku sniffles, before nodding weakly. “S-Sorry… I’ll be okay tomorrow morning… I just...” She’s still at a loss for words, so all she can do is sigh in frustration at herself and give up.

“Here,” I slide the bowl of fruit I’ve been saving toward Dell. Since I won’t have time to finish it off, I’ll let him have it, just this once. I’m not usually generous in giving away such delicious food.

Dell lightly smirks, “I’m shocked. You’re being so nice. Thanks.” He winks at me, taking the bowl and pulling himself up. “I’ll try not to bite Gakupo-san’s head off tonight.” He gives us a wave before heading out of the dining hall.

“How about we finish off this pizza in your room, hmm?~” I softly suggest, helping Miku up to her feet with a grin. All she does is nod in response. I slide my arm through hers, taking hold of the pizza box in my free hand. On my way out of the hall, I sneak one more look at Xingchen and her three friends. They’re laughing and chatting amongst themselves. I can’t wait to wipe the smug smiles off their damn faces for causing all this between my friends.

…

After a while, I finally see my girlfriend’s wonderful, angelic smile once more. It’s not much of a cheery, bright grin… But she’s happy again for now. I took her back to her room, and we’ve been sitting on the floor together, finishing off the remaining pizza and making an attempt at moving past the gloomy atmosphere.

I decide against pressuring her into explaining her feelings any further. I already understand, anyway. She thinks it’s her fault that Neru has become such a different person recently… That if Xingchen hadn’t stolen our event plans, Neru wouldn’t have lost confidence in herself and distanced herself from us. Maybe that’s true, but Miku still isn’t to blame for this. The blame will always be on Mahogany Creek. They’re masters of manipulating, lying, and cheating. Neru will come back to us soon.

Instead of focusing on all of that, I had spent some time cuddling her and kissing her tears away. It had took a while to get her to calm down, but after spending some time in each other’s arms, she was able to regain her composure. Now, we’re currently just having a friendly chat about old memories.

I let a soft sigh pass my lips, taking a glance at the clock hanging on the wall. It’s nearing 9pm, and Neru hasn’t returned to her room yet. I can’t help but grimace at the thought that she might be staying out somewhere with Len. On the other hand, Xingchen hasn’t come back either, which is a relief. I’d have yelled at her if she came back.

“Looks like we have the room to ourselves tonight,” I casually remark, and though it sounds innocent enough, I’m unable to resist the urge to slip a bit of a suggestive tone in there.

Miku’s cheeks flush light red, and a soft giggle escapes her lips. “Kaito-kun...” she rolls her eyes. “Ah, geez. We’ve barely had any time to ourselves ever since the trials started.” She sounds a bit upset as she mentions that. Now that I think about it, she’s right. When was the last time we sat alone like this…? Probably the morning after Neru’s birthday.

“Feels like it’s been forever, huh?” I respond, before stretching my arms out behind me, a yawn slipping out. It’s not even that late and I’m growing sleepy already. Miku nods in agreement, and as she watches me, a small yawn also escapes her. Although when she yawns, she’s far more adorable than I could ever be doing it. Still, I wish we could have a bit more time together…

All of this going on with Xingchen and her group is almost too much to handle. Now that I have time to think about it, something just doesn’t add up. Gakupo got his hands on our plans, not the girls. Unless… Since Xingchen found Miku’s plans… Xingchen could have been the one to hand them over to Gakupo, so that the girls don’t get themselves involved. They’ve probably been conspiring together all week before coming here.

Lightly shaking my head, I decide in the end not to think about it. My head’s pounding again. It’s the perfect time to get some sleep. Neru and Xingchen most likely won’t be coming back tonight. I can pull up a futon and rest on the floor here.

“Hmm… Mind if I go to sleep now, Kaito-kun?” Miku asks, a hint of sleepiness in her voice. She rubs at her eyes, which thankfully aren’t red and puffy any more.

“Nope. Sounds good to me. I’m exhausted,” I chuckle. I glance around the room, and pinpoint the futon spread out across the floor near a wall. Perfect, there’s my bed for the night. Instead of picking myself up like a normal person, I begin to lazily crawl toward it on all fours, just as a dog would.

“Kaito-kun, you’re so lazy,” Miku giggles from behind me. She’s probably getting a good view of my… Well.

“Pssh… Don’t lecture me, I’m tired,” I huff in a childish tone. I slip into the futon, not having the energy to change into some night clothes, or even take my shirt off. I’ll likely regret this in the morning when I’m rushing around to get a shower and find fresh clothes, but… That’s a problem for future me. Sorry, present Kaito.

When I look over at Miku, she’s sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on some fluffy bedsocks. They’re light blue, as expected. I roll over onto my side, propping myself up slightly by resting my palm against my cheek. The last time we were alone was that morning of the assembly announcing the trials. Thinking back on it, Miku said something about… past lives? My tiredness is replaced by mild curiosity, wanting to know more about what she meant. “Hey, Mi-chan?”

She slides herself under the covers of her bed, before letting out a ‘hmm’ in wondering. She sluggishly moves a hand up to her hair, pulling out her hair-ties.

“I was just wondering what exactly you meant by that past life stuff the other day,” I casually say.

“Oh?” She raises a brow, as though she can’t quite remember the conversation. She pauses to think… And then another ‘oh’ passes her lips, but more of a gasp in realisation. “Mm, it was more of a passing thought rather than anything too deep,” she admits, with a shy laugh.

“I see...” Maybe there is something to it, after all. “Well, what kind of person d’you think you were in a past life? Still as sweet and adorable as ever?” I flash her playful smirk.

She seems to get a bit flustered at that, giggling nervously now as she ponders an answer. “Heh~ Yeah, I get the feeling I was the same sort of person. Friendly, always there as a shoulder to lean on...”

“Hmmm,” I narrow my eyes at her, taking in her appearance seriously for the first time in a while. It’s been a while since I fully scanned her and took a moment to truly take in the kind of person she is. I’m staring into the deepest corners of her mind right now. Okay, not literally… “You were a princess.”

When I speak as bluntly as that, I swear steam comes shooting out of her ears. Her embarrassment grows tenfold at the statement. “A p-princess? W-Wow…! You really think I… I could be capable of…?!” Looks like I’ve tapped into a life-long aspiration of hers.

“Oh, absolutely.” I nod, playing into her love of princesses. What girl _doesn’t_ love the idea that they could’ve been a princess in a previous life? I imagine a whole lot of young women fantasised about being a princess during childhood at least once. Miku is certainly no different from those girls.

“W-Well...” After seeming to calm down a little bit, she flutters her lashes at me. “You were… definitely a prince. M-My… prince...” She grows all starry-eyed as she says that, and judging by that giddy expression taking over her face, she’s probably imagining me as her prince husband in a huge fancy castle.

A soft, awkward laugh comes out in response. Not sure how I feel about being a prince, but if it makes her happy… I give a sort of shrug. “You really think _I_ could be capable of handling royal duties and all that?” I repeat the same thing she asked me a few moments ago, twisting it to make her actually use her brain in the midst of all this girly freaking out.

“Of course~” She beams without missing a beat. So much for using her brain. “Like I said before, you’re so laid-back and downright lazy sometimes.”

“Gee, thanks,” I remark, raising a brow.

“But,” she continues, interrupting my sour response. “What kind of pampered prince _isn’t_ lazy at times, hmm? Being a prince would suit you so well.”

A grunt passes my lips at that. This kind of talk is hurting my head. It’s weird to even think about things like past lives, when I’ve only been in this body for sixteen years. This is the kind of thing you wonder about when you’re in your forties or fifties, right? I shuffle myself into a more comfortable position, lying flat on my back now. “Well, who knows,” I nonchalantly answer.

Following my movements, Miku also turns onto her back, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. “I suppose there’s no need to think so hard on it. We’ll never know either way,” she sighs, though in a dreamy manner. I bet she’ll have some wild dreams tonight.

“Maybe I’ll conjure up fantastical royal imagery while I sleep tonight,” I snicker, poking my hand out of the futon to flick off the light switch just above me. Darkness floods the room, leaving the only source of light to be the soft silver moon spilling through a small crack in the curtains.

“Yeah...” Miku softly hums in agreement. I’m left to wonder whether she’s taking this seriously or not, because I’m definitely not. There’s no way past lives exist. But it’s still been a nice little conversation, after all that’s happened lately. A sense of normality is really what I need. “Well, g’night Kaito-kun.”

“Mm. Goodnight, Mi-chan.” I finally let my eyes slip shut, while a heavy huff pushes its way out of me. It’s a shame that tomorrow, things will become hectic all over again, and it’ll be another few days before Miku and I can share a peaceful moment like this. Grimacing lightly to myself, I do as she says, not thinking too hard on what’s to come… and allow myself to drift off to sleep.

…

There’s a soft clicking sound as my shoes come into contact with the unfamiliar marble floor beneath my feet, with each step I take. That’s strange. Why are my footsteps so loud? No, why is this place so quiet? Besides, where _is_ this place? I could’ve sworn I fell asleep hours ago. So, why is it I’m in a place I can’t recognise, and more importantly, why am I just casually walking like this? It’s as though I have no control over myself.

My head echoes with commands to stop, but no actual words come out of my mouth. I’m physically straining in an attempt to yell out and regain control over my movements, yet every single attempt ends in my words getting caught up in my throat and gulped back down. I’m just a floating brain, aren’t I? Forced to watch through the eyes of someone that’s taken over my body as they keep walking forward, across a vast unrecognisable hall.

Though as I make my way through, the realisation hits me that maybe I’m just speechless, and that’s why nothing is coming out. This place is… fantastic…! Slowly moving my head from left to right, I take in the shimmering marble floor, tall white doors and walls, adorned with a beautiful shade of gold along the outlines. Even the ceiling… Are those chandeliers hanging down, too? I can see the crystals reflecting the blinding gold.

Wait a minute. Miku and I were talking about princes and princesses earlier, weren’t we? I get it. This is just a dream. “Then, why… does it feel so real?” I mutter those words without really thinking, and I can’t help but blink in surprise when they actually come out. I trail my eyes down and slowly lift my palms forward, stopping in my tracks – finding that I’m able to control my movements now. I’m really here. Squinting, I realise there are white gloves on my hands. Not only that, dark blue sleeves cover my wrists. What on earth am I wearing? I need to find a mirror somewhere.

When I pull my eyes from my hands, after fixating on them for a good few moments in confusion, I then see that I’m standing right outside one of those tall doors I saw earlier. The halls were deadly silent all but a moment ago, but now I can hear faint chatter coming from behind that door. Raising a brow, I reach a gloved hand out and push the door open. The sudden shift from silence to a burst of voices is almost deafening. “Woah...”

All I can do is whisper in awe at the sight. There are at least a hundred people before my eyes, all crowding around multiple light wood tables. I’ve stumbled into some sort of shockingly large dining hall, and what’s even more baffling is the sea of faces, each of them wearing outrageously fancy dresses and suits.

Taking a step inside, I’m hit by an overpowering mix of scents. This is insane. I’m dreaming, right? So why can I smell the soup that those servants over there are bringing out? Why can I smell the different orders of tea?

I start to shake my head slowly. My legs are trembling. I couldn’t have wandered off and got lost while sleepwalking, could I? But… That doesn’t explain my clothes… Or this intense atmosphere. I squeeze my eyes shut, taking a couple of steps backward, refusing to accept that this is real. Wake up, Kaito. Wake up. “Ah…!” I end up tripping over my feet in my panic, and before I know it, I’ve crashed to the floor and the pain I feel is all too real. A sharp crack to my backside. My eyes jolt open, and I’m still in this weird place.

I frantically scramble to get up on my feet, pressing my palms against the smooth, cold floor to support myself. Jumping up, I spin around and rush to the opposite end of the hall as fast as I can. This is slowly becoming a nightmare, rather than a fantastical ‘dream’. At this point, I’m growing desperate, hoping to find an exit since there’s no chance of me waking up. I can’t stay in this freakishly fancy palace for the rest of my life. I’m not the type of person who belongs here.

When I finally reach the opposite end of the hall, I’m stood in front of yet another door. Only this time, I can’t hear any voices from the other side, which is a good sign so far. Taking in a deep breath to steady my nerves, I brace myself best I can for what may lie beyond this gold-decorated door. If only it wasn’t so hard for me to find the way out of here… I hope this gets me one step closer at the very least.

I shove it open rather harshly, and to my surprise, it opens to reveal two tall figures standing at the far end of the room. This area is smaller than the last and the hall outside; there’s a deep red carpet that stretches up to a pair of thrones. I blink a few times, unable to believe what I’m seeing. So, this must be where the… king and queen…? Wait, these two figures standing here – their backs are turned but they’re wearing crowns and outfits with a far more sophisticated air surrounding them than those in the dining hall. Narrowing my eyes, I take in their appearances from behind. For some reason, I’m no longer interested in getting out of here and my panic has dissipated.

They’re a bit far away, but I can easily tell that the one on the left is a man – the king, perhaps? He has short brown hair, neatly trimmed, as expected. The figure on the right is a woman. And even though I can’t see her face, it’s obvious that she’s incredibly beautiful. Her light blue hair runs smoothly down her back. They’re just… standing there. Motionless.

Although suddenly, the man speaks. His voice doesn’t sound as harsh as I expected, nor does he even have the power behind his voice that a king should. “He’s finally here.”

Looking from side to side quickly, I realise that there’s nobody else here that he could be referring to. “I...” I can’t think of the right words to say. I’m overwhelmed by their presence. There’s some sort of strong sense of familiarity as I begin approaching the two. As though I’ve known them all my life. This can’t be… Haven’t I felt this way just recently?

“Oh, my dear… He may be here, but there’s nothing that can be done...” The woman speaks next, and her words seem to be wrapped in mystery. “This is just a dream, after all. This is the only way we can reach him.”

I don’t understand what on earth they’re talking about. It’s like they’re talking to me, but they’re really not. More like, they’re talking about me to each other. This is so confusing. Is this really a dream?

The two of them slowly start to turn around to face me.

…

“Ah…!”

A sharp, quiet gasp escapes my lips as I jolt up in the futon. The uncomfortable sensation of my warm, sticky clothes rubbing against me becomes more apparent after a few seconds pass, and I come to my senses a bit more. I dart my eyes around, breathing heavily as I process exactly where I am. My glance lands on the occupied bed in the corner of the room.

That’s right. I fell asleep in Miku’s room. But that dream… That was a dream, wasn’t it? I’m left stunned, staring at my girlfriend as I attempt to figure out what exactly just happened. I lift a hand up to my forehead, clutching at it for a few moments, recollecting to the best of my ability the contents of that dream. Or… whatever it is. Calming myself down eventually, I run my fingers across my forehead and wipe away the beads of sweat. I need to relax. Not think about it so hard. I just let my wild imagination get the better of me.

Releasing a deep sigh, I slink back into the futon, and rest on my side. Miku is still fast asleep over there. Heh… _Just calm down, Kaito. This is all your fault for getting so carried away and playing into your girlfriend’s fantasies._ It’s no wonder I had such an odd dream.

There’s just been so much going on. I sigh to myself in my mind, allowing my eyes to slip shut again. There’s no time to focus on rationalising it, anyway. In the morning, the chaos will begin all over again, and I need to find a way to expose Xingchen and her Mahogany buddies for the cheaters they are in between all this. Squeezing my eyes shut a bit harder, I block out those thoughts and focus on getting some more sleep.

**...**


	8. Chapter Seven - Comeback

_Chapter 7: Comeback_

My eyelids are about to droop shut at any second now. Can’t keep this up much longer. How much more studying must one man do before he’s allowed to give up without being called a failure? This is impossible.

The sudden slam of something right in front of my eyes snaps me back into reality. “Wuh- Wha- I’m awake!” I splutter out, eyes wide open now, and back straight. I’m greeted by the sight of a certain silver-haired devil smirking… devilishly(?) at me. God damn it, I can’t even think of good enough words for ‘evil’ when I’m half asleep like this.

“Come on, Kaito-kun. Pull yourself together,” comes Dell’s lecturing tone.

I glare daggers at him, but the threatening stare hardly carries any weight to it considering I’m already back to slouching a bit. “Math is boring. I’m tired. I wanna sleep.” I can’t bring myself to yell in protest. Besides, we’re sitting in the library at the moment – I get the feeling it’d be highly disrespectful to all these other _nerds_ studying so early in the morning.

“Just half an hour more, Kaito-kun~” Miku’s motivational speech would normally get me all pumped and rearing to go. However, not even her warm, supportive smile is enough to snap me out of sleepiness.

I didn’t intend to stay awake nearly all night, but after that dream… The voice of that woman is still repeating even now in my head. I’m still not sure if it really was just a dream or not. Another yawn passes my lips at the thought. Today’s trial events consist of a math contest in the morning, a sports event before lunch, and a final art event in the afternoon. Of course, after all that, there’s the huge band battle thing after dinner tonight. There’s so much pressure for tonight – Neru hasn’t shown up to practice our piece, so it’s safe to say that disaster is ahead.

“Let’s review our strategy, okay?” Dell puts his game face on, so I’m forced to pay attention. He slides the mountain of books aside, a weary look of determination crossing his features.

“Mm!” Miku enthusiastically nods, whereas my ‘mm’ in agreement is more drawn out.

He drags a smaller stack of papers to the middle of the table, ones with a whole lot of complicated equations scribbled on the lines. My foggy brain can barely comprehend what any of them mean, even though I _should_ know. “These are some of the most complex equations I could draw up from the books,” Dell starts, spreading the pieces of paper out to reveal a bunch more. He points to a few of them, and when I look at Miku, I see that she’s just as confused and flustered as I am.

“I-I won’t be able to remember all of these…!” She’s trembling at the thought of tackling such horrifying things.

Dell simply grins. “You won’t need to. The guidelines of this event state that each team needs to nominate one person to solve a ‘higher grade mathematical problem’.”

I raise a brow at this. I really should’ve read up more on those guidelines. Although thinking about it, this one seems a bit easier than the past two events. Well, easier in the sense that it’ll be hard for Xingchen to steal our strategies, because this one just involves them using their brains – something Mahogany Creek kids don’t have.

“Oh, so that means…?” Miku tilts her head to the side, fluttering her lashes innocently.

“Two things, actually,” I answer in place of my silver-headed friend. Just in case he hasn’t thought of that point yet, I want to bask in the glory. She flicks her curious eyes to me. “One, you know who won’t be able to copy our planning ideas. Although the second thing is, uh… Well… You know, we actually have to be good at math.”

Dell lets out a huff, folding his arms over his chest. A bitter tone rolls off his tongue, “I was going to nominate Neru-chan, but...”

I can’t help but grimace slightly at the mention of her. Naturally, the betrayal is still a fresh wound.

“Yeah...” Miku mutters, lowering her head a bit with a small sigh.

I reach over to her and gently rub her shoulder in reassurance. “It’ll be okay eventually, Mi-chan. Once these trials are over, everything will return to normal. You’ll see.” Honestly, I don’t believe what I’m telling her at all, but it appears to kind of work.

“I’m the next best thing,” Dell continues, pointing to himself in a not-so-modest manner. He pokes his tongue out, as if mocking us for our inferior math skills.

“You’re a huge nerd,” I casually remark, propping my elbows up onto the table.

“Yep. And this huge nerd is gonna start earning Oak Valley some points.” He shoots back instantly with a smirk. Big head alert. No, but seriously, is it worth trying to win any more? Neru is the one who rallied us into this mess, going on about school spirit and all that crap, but now that there’s just the three of us putting effort in… Ugh.

Miku hums lightly to herself, digging into her pocket and retrieving her phone. “We’ve got another twenty minutes or so of allocated study time,” she announces, talking like some sort of automated reminder robot.

“Gah,” I lightly roll my eyes. Suddenly I feel rather sleepy again. Despite that, I turn my focus back to the book in front of me. After flicking through a couple pages to find yet another difficult equation to help Dell with, my mind starts to wander once more. “Hmmm...” A dragged out, thoughtful hum slips out.

“Hmm?” Miku repeats that same hum, in more of a questioning tone, without pulling her eyes from her book.

“Just thinking about those necklaces,” I admit, keeping my voice low.

“The ones those Mahogany Creek girls are wearing?” It’s obvious Dell is curious.

I simply give a nod, and a small ‘mhm’. I press my cheek against my palm, turning the page. “Maybe they’re using them to record conversations, or discuss cheats with each other. Is that… possible?” Absurd as it sounds, I’m mostly thinking out loud.

“Dunno,” Dell shrugs. “Seems kind of far-fetched to me. But you never know with those rich kids, right? They can probably get their hands on all sorts of hi-tech crap.”

“Normally I’d try to defend them, but…” Miku shyly gives her input, and it’s really not surprising to hear her say so. Xingchen and her buddies must be passing their information onto Gakupo. I’ll admit, they’re good at pretending they’ve done nothing wrong. Still, the fact that they can manipulate Neru so easily is worrying.

“We’ll have to be extra cautious around them for the rest of the day. They’re only here for one more night, and that stupid ‘winners party’ tomorrow,” I remind the two. As horrific as the Talent Trials are, the party at the end has always been pretty fun. Gives us a chance to relax and have fun, and secretly celebrate that we won’t have to see Mahogany Creek students for another two years.

“Yeah. The rest of the day doesn’t involve much planning, thankfully,” Dell responds. He definitely sounds relieved, like the pressure has been lifted ever so slightly off his shoulders. “We can all collaborate on the spot for the art event. As for sports… Well, shouldn’t be too difficult to tackle.”

I shudder at the thought of exercise. That’s going to be my least favourite event, for sure. Uh, ignoring the fact that the first two events yesterday were also my least favourite. But no, sports and I do _not_ get along well. “And to think they put so much emphasis on the academics side,” I grunt. “This is the only event they could come up with? Not that I’m exactly complaining...”

“Careful what you wish for, Kaito-kun,” Dell snickers. “I might push for the three of us to be nominated again in two years, and you’ll have to face multiple hardcore literature and math trials.”

Miku softly giggles at the thought. “At least you warned us in advance, so we’ll have plenty of time to study!” she beams. “Hmm. Speaking of the events… How are we going to fit in band practice?”

I tap at my chin to attempt to visualise a schedule in my mind. Sports before lunch… Art in the afternoon… “Huh, well, we don’t really need to prepare for sports and art, do we?” I raise a brow over at Dell. He’s the man with the plans, after all.

He scratches at the back of his head, narrowing his eyes in concentration. “Not exactly.”

“So, that means we could have a practice session during lunch,” I continue.

Miku doesn’t appear to be a fan of that. A light blush crosses her cheeks as she says, “I… I think we need more than one practice session.”

“As much as I hate to say it, we also need Neru-chan,” Dell adds, in a particularly sour tone.

I reluctantly nod in agreement. This whole situation feels so crushingly awkward. We’re going to make complete fools of ourselves in front of both schools unless we get our shit together and practice hard. “We’ll just… focus on that when the time comes, alright?” I don’t want to think about it any longer, at least not right now. With that, silence falls between us, as we ready ourselves for the first event of the day.

…

When the event is due to start, we’re all crammed into a dimly lit study room with two chalkboards opposite each other, and four separate tables presumably for the teams. Black curtains surround the space, enveloping us within the confines of the room. I can see that there’s a judge’s table placed near the back, as well as some seats for students. As expected, however, there are only a few younger students here to watch us.

Mr. Hiyama directs us over to the left side of the room, where my friends and I sit at one table, and Lily with her minions sit at the other. This whole atmosphere is incredibly intense – there’s suffocating silence amongst us all, the only noise being some faint whispers between the teachers acting as judges.

I’m currently sitting beside Miku, and Dell is next to her… But at the other end of the table, Neru is there, arms folded over her chest and her head turned away from us. She didn’t even bother to greet us properly when we were waiting outside the event room.

“Uh oh...” comes Miku’s sudden quiet whimper.

Raising a brow, I turn to look at her. Her eyes are fixated on a spot just in front of her, and following that trail, it leads me to face none other than Mr. Kasane. “Ah, geez,” I gulp.

“Since when does Mr. Kasane know anything about math…?” Dell hisses, and apparently Oliver heard that, as there’s a small snort from him a moment later. Their table is only a few paces away from ours.

“If I were you, I’d be more concerned about your own ability rather than someone far superior to you, Honne.” The same blonde-haired boy scoffs. I don’t bother to send him a glare that suggests he shuts his stupid mouth, since it’ll only cause trouble, as tempting as it is.

“Alright, everyone!” Ms. Yuzuki’s fake bright tone and clap of her hands causes everyone to promptly zip it and face her. She must’ve been giving her students some tips on how to cheat more efficiently and subtly this time, as it took a while for them to get seated. Narrowing my eyes, I look straight past Gakupo’s table and instead right at Xingchen’s group. Rather, my glance stops right on their necklaces. “Good morning, and welcome to the first event of the second day! We’re so delighted to roll out this brand new extra hard trial for you lovely bunch – you’ll get a chance to show off just how hard you’ve been working this year, and impress your fellow students.”

Extra hard trial? So, Ms. Yuzuki must’ve been pulling Mr. Hiyama’s strings again… As well as convincing Mr. Kasane to be a judge for this event, in order to… what, exactly? Intimidate us Oak Valley students? Well, as terrifying as he is, it’ll take more than that to throw us off. Then again, just one glance at Miku, and she’s trying her best to hide the fact that she’s sweating.

“Indeed,” Mr. Hiyama nods. He sets himself down in a chair by the judge’s table. “We’ll be your judges for today. We’ll see who answers our set of equations the most accurately and who uses the neatest methods.”

Following our principal, Ms. Yuzuki and Mr. Kasane take their seats, clipboards spread out on the table at the ready. “Both teams will be facing each other. There will be three rounds total, and whoever scores the most points will be declared the winner. You’ll be facing each other head-to-head, so don’t hold anything back now!” Principal Yuzuki continues to explain, and the way she words it makes it sound like nothing more than some friendly competition with no consequences.

“Now, we’d like to remind you that the current score is 2-0, in Mahogany Creek’s favour,” Mr. Hiyama adds, coughing lightly. He’s side-eyeing us right now, isn’t he? “Let’s hope that nothing else goes wrong today. I think it’s obvious when I say cheating is absolutely not tolerated, so let’s have things go smoothly.”

I’d gulp again but my throat is growing dry. This isn’t fair. He should be directing his authority glare to the right side of the room, not directly at the four of us here on the left…! Gritting my teeth together lightly, I ignore the burning irritation within me. Dell’s gonna pay these Mahogany bastards back in this event. Focus on sweet revenge.

“Oh, there’s no need to be so serious, Kiyoteru~” Ms. Yuzuki playfully sticks her tongue out at the principal, which causes him to squirm in discomfort. “After all, it’s all just a misunderstanding. Isn’t that right, Ms. Akita?”

Neru freezes up at being singled out. She scoffs lightly, lowering her eyes. “Y-Yeah, that’s… that’s right, Miss.”

I curiously sneak a peek at Dell, and while he claims to be annoyed at her, I notice that his fists are tightly clenched on the desk, and there’s a hint of pissed off protectiveness in his eyes. At the end of the day, he’s still hopelessly in love with her, huh? Just as it looks like he’s about to say something, someone else jumps to defend her instead.

“It’s not Neru-chan’s fault, Ms. Yuzuki. Please don’t punish her for this.” Well, there certainly aren’t any prizes for guessing who this knight in shining armour is. I can recognise it’s banana boy just from the sound of his kiss-ass voice.

“Len-kun, I...” Neru struggles to say anything more.

“Hmph...” Ms. Yuzuki narrows her eyes at the boy, as if sizing him up and staring into his very soul, attempting to understand his motives. “Very well. Let’s begin, shall we?” That glare is gone faster than I can blink, and her usual bubbly tone returns.

Through all of that nonsense, Mr. Hiyama had remained silent. Geez, she’s really dug her claws into him. At the mention of starting, he takes over. “For this first round, tables 1 and 3 will be facing off against each other. Table 3, please nominate the person to take on this challenge.”

My eyes widen slightly as I realise we’re table 1. Even worse, table 3 is where Gakupo and his buddies are sat. They begin to whisper amongst themselves, taking their sweet time to decide who will face us.

“They better choose wisely, ‘cause we’re going to give them one hell of a hard time,” Dell softly says, a determined grin spread across his face. Glad someone can be confident about this. If it were the girls we had to face, I’d easily say we could win. But if it’s them… I’m not so sure.

“Don’t worry, Kaito-kun.” Miku pats the top of my head with a wide smile. All I can muster is a weak smile in return.

“Alright, we’ve decided,” Gumi speaks up about a moment later. “We’ll be sending up Gaku-kun.”

Ah, shit… I get the feeling he’s the most hardcore nerd amongst them. When I watch him stand up, his eyes lock with mine for a moment, causing my blood to run cold. That… that bastard has a devious look in his eyes…! He’s trying to piss me off again, isn’t he? I’m quick to break eye contact, my cheeks burning.

“That’s great! Best of luck, Gakupo!” Ms. Yuzuki cheers loudly for him as he approaches one of the chalkboards, and I must say, the awkward tension is off the charts as she’s the only one doing such a thing. “Alright. Table 1, please nominate someone.”

That one’s easy. Miku and I both turn to face Dell, and just as he pushes his chair out to get up and nominate himself, it’s apparently too late.

“I’ll be doing it, Miss.” Neru promptly announces this, which stuns pretty much everyone in the room. They’re stunned because they think she’s not smart enough… But _my_ jaw has dropped because we already agreed that Dell would be taking over.

“What are you doing?” the silver-haired boy snaps at her, reaching out and grabbing her wrist to stop her from walking forward.

“Hey-!” Neru gasps, stumbling back at the unexpected movement. She twirls around in irritation, glaring down at the boy. “We already agreed that I’d be doing it.”

“Oh no...” Miku sinks down into her chair, covering her face. I can certainly feel the embarrassment.

“What do we have here?” Ms. Yuzuki raises a brow, watching as the two start bickering right here and right now.

“If you actually came along to study with us, you’d know that _I’m_ doing it,” Dell shoots back, through clenched teeth.

“Guys, come on,” I try my best to butt in, only for it to go in one ear and out the other.

“Hey, if you don’t mind, I’d like to start some time this century,” comes Gakupo’s impatient huff from the other side of the room.

“Let go of my wrist, you idiot,” Neru demands, wriggling her arm to try and get herself free of Dell’s iron-tight grip.

“Only if you sit down and let me do it. You’re gonna make a fool out of us. You didn’t even study.”

“Alright, that’s enough!” Mr. Hiyama’s voice booms out, which puts an immediate end to the humiliating show. “Both of you stop it and sit down. Neither of you will be taking part in this.”

“Huh?!” The pair choke out in unison, before exchanging aggravated glances at the fact that they’re so in sync.

Even I let out a confused ‘huh’, wondering what on earth the principal has planned. If neither Dell or Neru is allowed to compete in the first round, then…

Mr. Hiyama scans his eyes between Miku and I a moment later. Oh no. No, no, no. He can’t expect me or Miku to do this. I’ll forfeit if I have to. It’s like he’s deciding which one of us to send up. “Hmm,” he hums thoughtfully, tapping away at his chin. He really doesn’t need to think this hard on it. We’re both useless at math. He should know this.

“Sir, I-”

“Quiet, boy!” He barks at Dell before he can even get a word out. “Alright. It’s decided. You, get up there now.”

I reel back when I realise he’s pointing directly at me, jaw dropping for a second time. “M-Me?” I squeak. A huge wave of anxiety and nerves washes over me at that moment, a chill crawling down my spine as the realisation fully sinks in. “N-N-No, you- You can’t send me up!”

“Yeah, you can’t send him up, he’s useless!” Dell splutters in outrage.

“Dude, ouch.” I stare at him, offended. All I get back in return is a strained shrug.

“W-We all agreed earlier that Dell-kun should be the one to do it, Sir…!” Miku protests in my defense, although in a particularly apprehensive voice. It’s clear she doesn’t want to argue with the principal himself but she does so anyway for me.

“I won’t have any more arguments. My decision is final,” Mr. Hiyama says, in a more relaxed tone now.

This is terrible. Can I really accept this fate? I’m going to humiliate our team. I’m not exactly terrible at math, but it’s more the fact that I absolutely despise it and can’t for the life of me remember any of the equations I looked at earlier. Taking in a deep breath, I push my chair back and bring myself to my feet. I guess I can’t delay this any further.

“This is so ridiculous, I know literally every single equation in those stupid math books!” Neru continues to whine like a child. She sounds exactly like a Mahogany Creek student. Cocky, full of herself… Need I go on?

“Y-You’ll be okay, Kaito-kun. Do your best… Alright?” Miku offers me some words of encouragement. She doesn’t sound incredibly confident. “E-Even if you don’t succeed, I’ll still be proud of you...” she quietly adds, with a half-smile.

I can feel the beads of sweat forming already. That broken little smile just makes me feel worse. Keeping my head low, I head over to the chalkboard opposite Gakupo’s. I don’t want to look that arrogant idiot in the eyes – he’s not worth my anger right now.

“Right! Looks like our first match of the day is Gakupo vs Kaito!” Ms. Yuzuki enthusiastically announces, probably addressing the crowd of about five students. There’s some light applause, but that only makes me cringe on the spot. “If you’d like to turn your attention to the chalkboards, you’ll notice that the equations have already been drawn up. All you two have to do is solve them.”

I tilt my head back and stare up at the chalkboard, which appears to be as tall as a mountain when I’m right in front of it and faced with all this pressure. I didn’t even pay attention to the equations scribbled onto the board when I first entered, because I figured I wouldn’t need to. Wonderful. The entire board is full of a few equations, and trying to make sense of them just hurts my head. I briefly understand a few bits here and there, but if someone told me this was written in another language, I’d believe them.

“Yes, Miss. I noticed them while table 1 were fighting,” Gakupo casually remarks, blinking innocently. The damn coward doesn’t even look at me when he’s mocking me…!

A small giggle escapes Principal Yuzuki’s lips. Looks like even she can’t resist joining in on making fun of us. She’s just like a school kid. Normally I’d never insult figures of authority, ones I’m supposed to respect, but man… This woman is a total bitch. “Alright, we’ll be setting this timer at fifteen minutes. That should be enough time to solve everything on the boards. Remember, no peeking at each other’s work! Are you both ready?”

No.

“Yes, Miss,” Gakupo answers first.

I turn my back to them, squeezing my eyes shut as I respond. “Yes, Miss.”

“Ready...~ Go!”

…

I take a couple of steps back at the sound of the timer ringing out. Letting out an exaggerated huff, I peer up at the equations. That had to have been the longest fifteen minutes ever. Everyone was staring at me during the whole thing, which only added to the uncomfortable sensation.

“Okay, gentlemen. Please step aside so that I can get a good look at your chalkboards,” Ms. Yuzuki requests, politely enough. “Just wait at the side there.” She points at a space over to the right of the chalkboards, near the steps that lead up to this part of the room, all while making her way up here herself.

“Mmh...” I desperately need a drink of water. Need to stop myself from potentially dry heaving. I make my way over to where Ms. Yuzuki ordered us to go, distancing myself as much as I can from the purple-headed demon.

Folding my arms, I avert my eyes from his, looking off in no direction in particular. Anything to avoid catching his judgemental stare. It’s no use, though.

“What a riveting twist of fate,” Gakupo comments out of nowhere, a sickly sweet chuckle passing his lips. Ugh, who even _talks_ like that these days? I have no idea if he’s looking at me, digging those sharp orbs into my being. “Looks like nothing can keep us apart during these trials, Kai-kun.~ You and I, true soulmates, pitted against each other so cruelly…”

Oh my god, I want to punch this cocky asshole right in his smug face. He’s talking in a low voice, one that only I can hear, his only goal to piss me off. Taking in a deep breath, I summon every ounce of willpower within me to stop myself from lashing out in response. Ms. Yuzuki is currently gushing over Gakupo’s chalkboard, spitting out compliment after compliment, because of course, Gakupo is so perfect and got every single equation right.

“It’s a shame. Your friends claim to be oh-so smart and simply amazing when it comes to mathematics, yet they’re still dumb enough to bicker in front of the principals, and jeopardise their slim chance at winning.” He’s still talking. I can’t believe it. He loves the sound of his own voice, doesn’t he? What a disgusting narcissist. I don’t care if what he’s saying is right; how dare he have the nerve to shit-talk us after the stunts he and his friends have pulled. “Well, in the end, it’s a good thing Principal Hiyama’s prize student ended up being you. It means I can pound you into the dust effortlessly.”

“You reaaally love to hear yourself talk,” I quietly say, rolling my eyes. “How much further up your own ass can you get?” I hiss in the lowest voice I can muster, not wanting the teachers to hear.

“When will you Oak Valley children learn there’s nothing wrong with having pride in one’s ability?” Gakupo simply scoffs. Yeah, pride. Keep calling it that.

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Every single equation has been answered correctly!” Ms. Yuzuki clasps her hands together, all starry-eyed and drooling over the chalkboard. Ugh, chalk… Reminds me of all the sweat I produced in those fifteen minutes, and how much wet chalk rubbed off onto my fingers. I hope whoever goes up next likes warm, melty chalk. Gross. “And my, the most efficient methods were used to the highest standard. It’s safe to say you scored full marks, Gakupo. This will certainly be hard to beat.”

In other words, impossible. I can feel my legs growing wobbly as I stand here. I dart my glance over to Miku and Dell, in need of a supportive smile or something. Anything. I’m able to catch Miku’s eyes, and all she can give me is a half-smile. I can see the nerves on her face. Or is that disappointment? Probably both.

“I don’t know how many times you need to be told, Kaito-san, but you should quit while you’re ahead,” Gakupo mutters under his breath at me. Huh. What ever happened to ‘Kai-kun’? I never want to be called that again in my life by this scumbag, for the record. “You’ll never win. Stop trying so hard. Accept defeat already, okay? Your girlfriend’s sad puppy dog eyes are pathetic.”

“Leave her out of this, you-!”

“Ahem,” Ms. Yuzuki loudly clears her throat, glaring directly at me. Oops. She must’ve finished scanning over my answers, or lack thereof. “Well, you made a good attempt, Kaito… Unfortunately, you only answered one of the equations correctly. While I appreciate the attempts on the others, the composition is sloppy and you used the most dragged out methods possible.”

All I can do is widen my eyes in shock at her lack of a filter. That’s far too critical for my liking. “W-Well, I…” I awkwardly rub at the back of my head. Great, I’m being stared at by everybody again. Most notably Oliver and Fukase, who are nudging each other and whispering while not-so-subtly smirking over at me.

“Don’t feel too bad, Kaito. Gakupo here is the top student out of everyone in his year group in math,” Ms. Yuzuki makes an attempt at reassuring me, but obviously it falls flat. Reluctantly trailing my glance over to him, all he’s doing is grinning from ear to ear. Asshole. “That concludes the first round. One point to Mahogany Creek Academy.”

Wow, such a shocker. I truly never saw that one coming. Mumbling bitterly to myself, I drag my feet across the floor as I return to my seat. “Ughhh...” I immediately slouch over as soon as my butt hits the chair, burying my head in my arms.

A wave of relief washes over me as soon as I feel an unexpected palm rubbing against my back. A soothing voice reaches my ears a moment later. “You did so well, Kaito-kun. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to get one of the questions right,” comes Miku’s praise.

Sighing heavily, I pull my head up after a couple of seconds, deciding I’ve wallowed in shame long enough. Their praise doesn’t make me feel any better, though. I let everyone down. “You sure about that?” I lazily raise a brow.

“Heh, well… I could’ve scored full marks, but it’s the effort that counts. Miku-chan is right, the fact you got one right shows those guys over there how serious we are,” Dell flashes me a sincere grin. Looking over his shoulder, I notice Neru has nothing to say to me.

“Okay! Everyone ready for round two?”

…

This time, it’s SeeU vs Aoki. Time flies by compared to my round against Gakupo, and much to my surprise, the dopey, air-headed SeeU comes out as the victor by one point. Miku and Dell are just as gobsmacked as I am.

“She’s actually… s-smart…?” Dell chokes out, in a hiss. It’s no wonder he’s stuttering and tripping over his words.

“Dumb luck is a real thing after all,” I mutter, watching SeeU as she gracefully flips her long puffy hair and twirls at the same time, trotting back to her team. Even Lily and the other three are at a loss for words. It seems they nominated the blonde as a joke.

“W-Well...” Miku lightly scratches at her cheek. I think her eye just twitched. “Th-That means… We have a point, at least...” She’s clearly straining herself, thinking of something nice to say. What a pure soul.

“Looks like somebody forgot to brush up on their simultaneous equations this morning, hmm?~ Aww, look at that, you let your poor team down, after they tried so hard! Ahaha! Oh well, don’t beat yourself up over it!” Ms. Yuzuki forces a cheery tone, laughing almost maniacally faced with defeat, ganging up on Aoki. Ah yes, she’s definitely a sore loser. Taking her frustrations out on a kid? Very mature.

The final round is announced shortly after – this time it’s a 2v2 round, meaning one student from each table has to come forward. I’m dragged up to the chalkboards for the last time. The humiliation is unbearable to face all over again, but I have SeeU by my side, meaning this should go smoothly as long as she does the majority of the work. Then again, she may turn on her dumbness and let us lose.

The chalkboards have been wiped clean and replaced with a brand new equation. This time, there’s only one question written in the middle of the board. Scanning over it, I repeat it quietly. “Fermat’s Last Theorem…?” Something inside me clicks. It’s like a lightbulb has just flickered to life above my head. “Hah! Hope you’re ready to taste the dirt, Kamui!” I can’t stop myself from spouting off and bragging about the inevitable win ahead.

“Silence, Shion!” Mr. Kasane’s thunderous roar comes straight for me, catching me off guard and quickly wiping the smirk off my face. “I don’t care how clever you think you are, kid. Don’t go interrupting me, otherwise I’ll leave you crying, understood?”

I frantically nod my head. I didn’t realise Mr. Kasane would be judging the final round.

“Wow, you’re like sooo smart, Kaito-kun,” comes SeeU’s fake compliment. Her bright bubbly tone makes me want to gag.

“Have you heard of this before, Gakupo-san?” Aoki turns to face the purple-haired boy, appearing to have little to no confidence left after her previous failure. Unfortunately, Gakupo doesn’t give her a response. Now I won’t be able to figure out how he’s going to tackle this.

“This one’s a real big boy question, kids. Don’t come snottin’ and whining to me if you find it too hard and wanna give up, got it?” Mr. Kasane thinks he’s so superior, doesn’t he? He has no idea I’m about to totally thrash these Mahogany punks once and for all. Can’t wait to see his jaw drop. “All you gotta do is answer yes or no within five minutes. Listen up, ‘cause I’ll only say it once. Can an integer greater than two sufficiently satisfy this equation? If you think it can, prove it! Alright. Final round, starting now!!”

Humming lightly to myself, I spin on my heels and face the chalkboard. I grab the stick of chalk. It’s still warm from the last round. I don’t even waste my time looking over at Gakupo and Aoki. I can hear them scrambling and whispering together, in a pitiable attempt to start proving a number greater than two can solve it.

“What the hell are you so happy and cheery about?” SeeU scowls, standing beside me. Mm, sweet irritation. “At least discuss your ridiculous plan with me. I bet you have absolutely no idea what the answer is.”

“I do, actually,” I simply state, lifting my arm up to a space underneath the equation. Right now, my mind is screaming in joy, but I can’t let that show on my face. Calm, collected and modest. But holy shit, I’m so glad that I spend half my time searching up the most random, most difficult things possible online…! Useless internet knowledge has come to my rescue at last.

“What?!” SeeU sounds hilarious when she’s all worked up.

After writing down a simple ‘no’ underneath the question, I set the chalk down and turn back around to face Mr. Kasane with the urge to give him the most smug, stuck-up grin possible. I resist the urge to do so, though.

“That was fast, my boy. Let’s see what you got down, shall we?” Mr. Kasane narrows his eyes, his tone full of doubt as he saunters toward the chalkboard.

“Gladly.” I step aside, allowing him to peek at my answer. I notice that Gakupo and Aoki haven’t turned around. I’m able to just see over their shoulders, and when I read over it briefly, I hold back a laugh. They’re trying to prove that a number greater than two can be used. How cute. Gakupo isn’t as clever as he once thought, is he now?

“Hmmm.” A rather long hum comes from the stern teacher. I’m sure that’s a hint of appreciation in there somewhere. I bet he hasn’t come across many students who know the answer to such a complex thing – not to toot my own horn or anything, of course.

The next few minutes pass by rather fast. The ringing of the timer echoes out; Gakupo has to be told a couple of times to put the chalk down, as he’s still clambering to write down one last thing. Reluctantly, he sets the stick down and slowly turns around. He hasn’t broke a sweat, nor is he even showing the slightest sign of being worn down, but there’s a subtle hint of frustration in his eyes. Aoki is chewing on her lower lip. Ms. Yuzuki is going to be so pissed.

“Time’s up, ladies!” Mr. Kasane’s gruff tone slips out once more. Back into hardcore teacher mode, I see. He’s going to seriously strain his throat one of these days. He flaps his hand to the right, signalling for Gakupo and Aoki to shift out of the way of the chalkboard. He sets his eyes upon their board, before tutting under his breath and lightly shaking his head. “Well, nice attempt, I guess.”

“Wh-What…?” For the first time, Gakupo is left speechless. Oh, revenge is so fucking sweet. This is delightful. He expected to be given all the glory and crowned the rightful winner for his efforts.

“The winner here is obvious. Oak Valley High takes a point right outta Mahogany’s hands!” Mr. Kasane wastes no time in announcing the winner of this event, and even though I expected the outcome, I’m still left numb. Did I… single-handedly pull this off…? Eh, some credit to SeeU, I suppose.

“Woo, yeaaah!!” comes Miku and Dell’s extremely loud and ecstatic shouts in glee. I turn around just in time to see the two of them spring up in excitement; Miku particularly is bursting. She seems to be so proud of me.

“Huh...” SeeU sort of stares at me for a couple seconds. “Good work, I guess. Whatever.” She flicks her hair right next to me, and I stumble back as I’m almost whacked in the face with those fluffy locks. She turns around and returns to her group.

“Kaito-kuuun, you did it!” Miku dashes up from her seat and comes bounding straight toward me like an overjoyed puppy. She throws her arms out, and while she knocks the air right out of me as she tightly grips me, it’s a lovely feeling.

“Unbelievable!” Aoki sticks her chin in the air, huffing and stomping away from the centre stage.

I let out a laugh in disbelief at what I just pulled off. I eventually return Miku’s hug, pulling her closer to me and patting the back of her head. “Whew...”

Dell joins us on the stage next to the chalkboard; I feel a comforting tap on my shoulder.

“Yes… Good job indeed, Oak Valley.” Ms. Yuzuki is bordering on some sort of fairytale villain here. I think she’s plotting up her witchy revenge at this very moment.

Miku slowly pulls back, her cheeks stained red from joy. There’s even a sparkle in those beautiful light blue eyes of hers. “S-Sorry, I’m just… so proud…!”

I shake my head, giving a chuckle. “No need to apologise. It really was just dumb luck,” I wink. When I turn my head to see where Ms. Yuzuki is, I realise she’s already left the room. I thought she would be over yelling at her students, but there’s nothing. My attention is dragged over to the right side of the room, however, as it appears some bickering has broken out.

“Clearly your ‘best efforts’ weren’t good enough.” Hmm, that’s the arrogant voice of Gakupo’s green-haired girlfriend. Typical Mahogany Creek… They won’t even acknowledge how hard their teammates tried. I mean, obviously I really don’t want to stick up for Gakupo, ‘cause he’s a dickhead, but he tried his hardest.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you, of all people,” Gakupo scoffs.

“Huh… Trouble in paradise, y’think?” Dell half-jokes, letting out a sigh. The two of them begin to make their way out of the event room, still arguing back and forth as they go.

The mood right now is a bit sour, but nevertheless, a win is a win. This is… exhilarating. I never thought we’d be able to actually get a point. I won’t get too big-headed and think that we’re going to win the whole Talent Trials, but one point is better than none.

Mr. Hiyama approaches the three of us a few moments later, cracking a genuine smile and giving us a bit of applause. “Well, well. Kaito Shion. You’ve done us all proud,” he says, resting a hand on his hip. Wow, praise from this guy? I must’ve done super good. “Keep a secret, will you? I didn’t have much faith that we’d win, when Mahogany Creek students first arrived here. But, well… The younger students have started to stack up a few points amongst themselves in their events. And now that you, the older students, have made a complete one-eighty in your attitudes...”

It’s kind of weird, listening to your principal having a mini-rant slash lament thing right in front of you, but… Hearing that he’s regained faith, and that even the other students are doing well, it’s starting to feel good. A year group win would be insane. But a whole school win…? No, I can’t even imagine that. Don’t dream too big, Kaito.

“Everyone has been trying their best, Sir. I think maybe… if we promote school spirit and school pride just a little bit more… amazing things can happen.” Miku softly smiles up at Mr. Hiyama. She’s suggesting such a bold thing, right to his face. Normally, this wouldn’t end well.

“Perhaps you’re right, Ms. Hatsune,” the principal thoughtfully nods. “Well, I’ll see you all at the sports event later. I’m sure you’ll do well now that you’ve hit a high.” He gives us a wave and takes his leave a moment after, sticking his hands into his pockets.

“Geez...” Dell lets out a heavy breath. Yeah, that’s right buddy. Unclench. “I can’t believe this is real. Kaito-kun, just how the hell did you know the answer to that insane question? Even I’ve never seen such a thing before!”

Snickering lightly, I tease him and tap my nose secretively as a response. I can’t reveal my greatness, not yet. Gotta keep ‘em guessing, after all. Sliding my arm through Miku’s, I suggest that we should get out of this cramped, overheating room.

“I feel like we’re totally ready to turn this whole competition around~” Miku giggles. It’s nice to see that her confidence is starting to come back. And I think mine is coming back, too. Time to finally put those snobs in their place, huh?

…


	9. Chapter Eight - Rising Tensions

_Chapter 8: Rising Tensions_

My stomach rumbles for the second time in the past half hour or so, as I stare intently at the metal locker before my eyes. “Mmmh...” I groan softly. The feeling of glory and such has passed, since the stronger feelings such as intense hunger and fatigue have taken over. The whistle for the game will go off at any second now.

“You pumped to go, dude?” A sudden swift slap to my back snaps me out of my hunger daze.

“Oof-!” I cough, squeezing an eye shut and pouting. “Dell-kun, I was busy dreaming about food...”

“Oh geez, why am I not surprised,” he sighs. My silver-haired demon friend plops himself onto the bench beside me. “Keep the visualising until after volleyball, alright?”

I scrunch my nose up at the thought of exercise. Especially volleyball. I have many horror stories involving me and sports. “Yeah, yeah.” I dismissively wave my hand in his face, pretty much telling him to ‘shoo’. I glance over my shoulder, seeing that Oliver and Fukase are standing over at the other end of the locker room, leaning against the wall like the typical delinquents they are.

“Do you two have a game plan or what?” Dell calls out to the two boys. Oh come on, did he really have to do that? The only response is, well, no response at all. “Great.”

All I can do is give him a shrug. Not sure what else he expected from them. Just as I clamp my palms together and stretch my arms out, the sound of a whistle from the sports hall hits my ears. Being cocky and confident about math is one thing. This, on the other hand, is sports we’re talking about. I’m dreading the inevitable failure on my part. Let’s hope we’re not all totally useless in this event.

Pulling myself to my feet, I follow Dell through to the sports hall. The whistle echoes out for a second time, this one much more deafening and annoying than the last now that we’re closer to the source – that source being none other than Principal Yuzuki and her fake wide smiles. Our sports hall here at Oak Valley isn’t really that much of a decent sight. It’s… fairly medium-sized, I’d say. Makes sense that there are only two nets set up in the centre of the hall, with some benches off to the side.

Glancing across the hall, I see that the Mahogany Creek students are already on their side of the nets – which kind of makes me wonder if they’ve been assigned to that side, or if they took the liberty themselves like they always do.

Tutting lightly to myself, I head over to the opposite side, catching sight of Miku awkwardly standing there, softly bouncing a ball up and down. Those aren’t the only things bouncing up and down… God damn Kaito, you pervert…! Why must these gym clothes be so tight and suggestive?! Stop staring at Miku’s cheeeest!

Mentally slapping myself as I approach her, I give her an innocent grin, pulling my eyes from such places. On the way over, I also notice that Neru is standing all by herself a few paces away from us. Seems like she’s copying Miku or something, but the way she bounces the ball is slightly more aggressive and it smacks hard off the floor on impact.

“Tch,” Dell lightly scoffs. He must’ve seen her, too. “Alright, guys. Let’s do our best.” He turns to address me along with my girlfriend. There’s that determined blaze reflecting in his eyes.

“From the looks of the set up, and this ball here...” She gestures to the round white thing that her fingers are wrapped around. “We just might be playing volleyball.”

“Volleyball, you say…?” A nervous sweat trickles down my forehead. I’ve taken one too many volleyballs to a different kind of sacred ball. I’m pretty sure my voice just cracked there, as well. “W-Well...”

“What’s the matter, Kaito-kun? Bad memories?” Dell teases me. The fear must be written all over my face. I frantically shake my head in denial.

“Ah, glad to see everyone is finally here!” Ms. Yuzuki beams, although her tone is a bit strained. Maybe she’s still annoyed with her loss earlier, and now she’s being all passive aggressive. She must definitely be referring to Lily and SeeU when she says that, as the two are rushing out of the changing rooms with flustered expressions. She adjusts the light purple visor atop her head, ball tucked under one arm and whistle on her neck flopping around with each exaggerated movement she makes.

Mr. Hiyama is by her side, although he’s not appropriately dressed compared to her. Still wearing that same old boring suit and tie. “Welcome all, to the second event of the day. Ms. Yuzuki and I have discussed which game would be the most fun and competitive for everyone, and we’ve come to the conclusion that this year’s game will be… Volleyball!” A dramatic pause is hardly necessary when there are a bunch of those white balls hanging around the nets. He’s not met with enthusiasm like he probably expected; instead there is crushing silence. He makes a grab for his tie and adjusts it before coughing lightly. “Yes, well, let’s just get on with it, shall we?”

“There’ll be four rounds in total! Whoever wins the first round goes onto the second, and so on. That’s easy enough to follow, right?” I don’t like the way she’s directing those twitching orbs over at both Oak Valley teams. Is she slowly losing her mind? I’d hate to be responsible for getting a teacher institutionalised…

Mr. Hiyama shuffles through a small stack of papers, clears his throat and continues in her place. “The first round will have four matches. Of course, this hall can only accommodate two matches at a time, so the teams who aren’t playing can rest on those benches over there,” he says, briefly pointing toward the area close to us. “Alright, let’s not waste any more time. For the first two matches – Kaito, Miku, on the left side of the first net, please. Gakupo, Gumi, on the right side. Lily, Oliver, left side of the second net. Una, Xingchen, on the right. Thank you.”

Oh, boy. Just end my suffering already. What is it with me having to constantly face the purple-haired demon in these events? This is torture! Lightly gritting my teeth together, I shuffle over a few steps since I’m close enough to the correct side of the net.

“Good luck, Kaito-kun. Miku-chan.” Dell throws up a peace sign before turning on his heels and making his way over to the benches.

Well, I appreciate that and all, but the anxiety and burning rage I feel right now is too much to try and control. Why does Mr. Hiyama think it’s a such a brilliant idea to send me of all people up first? He must have the twisted idea that I’m a determined, excellent student who can face any challenge thrown at me…!

“You okay, Kaito-kun?” Miku softly asks, tilting her head to the side slightly with a pout. Ahh, this girl can pick up on just about any negative change within me. “You’ll be pleased to know I have a bit of experience with volleyball. Let me take the forefront, okay?”

The what now…? Chuckling in an awkward manner, I take a few steps back. I’m not really sure where to position myself. I’ve made it my goal to avoid this god forsaken sport for the rest of my life, but now I’m being forced to get over it. “About here, right?”

Miku nods merrily in response. “Mmhm, you got it. Do you remember how to play?”

Before I open my mouth to speak, the shrill voice of Gumi butts into our conversation. “What a joke you two are. You don’t even know how to play volleyball, huh, bluey?” Her features twist into a sick, patronising frown as she puts on the most awful baby-talk tone she can manage. “We’re gonna pound you into the ground for real, this time. You got lucky last time, but there’s no way you’ll be allowed any more points.”

“How rude,” Miku huffs.

I simply roll my eyes. “Big talk from someone who doesn’t have the balls to play upfront,” I remark, side-eyeing Gakupo in the process.

“Wow, what ever could you mean by that, Kaito-san?” As predicted, the purple-haired male steps up to defend himself. That tone of his… Don’t tell me they already specifically planned which positions to take… “I could easily take the honour of facing you myself at the back there, but… Well, it’ll be far more humiliating for you when you get your butt handed to you by a girl, won’t it?” He casually points his thumb over his shoulder at his stupid puke-green-headed girlfriend.

Grr…! “L-Like hell I’ll let that happen, Kamui!” I resort to lashing out, tripping over my words as my cheeks flare up. The whistle cuts the verbal fistfight short.

“D-Don’t let them get to you, Kaito-kun...” Miku makes an attempt to calm my rage down, in an apprehensive tone. She’s right. Deep breaths. “Pay them back in other ways, remember?”

I give a nod, bracing myself. I connect my hands together, positioning myself the best I can, rearing to go. I’m sure I’ll be able to hit the ball if it ever comes back here.

“Is everybody ready?” Mr. Hiyama calls out. Everyone else is seated, and the other teams are prepared. Well, Lily certainly doesn’t look too cheery about the fact that she’s not getting special treatment. Poor thing, she’s probably terrified that she could break her disgustingly overdone pink nails. Idiot hasn’t even tied her hair back. “On the first net, the first hit goes to Mahogany Creek. On the second net, the first hit goes to Oak Valley.”

Hey, that’s hardly fair. I understand giving the first serve to Lily and her dumbass friend Oliver is essential to even making an attempt at winning, but on the other hand, giving Gakupo the advantage is going to end terribly…! Miku and I should be the ones that Mr. Hiyama gives extra help to.

“Be on the defense, Kaito-kun. I’ll hit ‘em where it hurts!” Miku’s determined little grin is adorable. A final screeching of the whistle sounds out, signalling the beginning of the match.

Gulping, I fix my eyes onto Gumi, who’s been given the duty of serving. Pssh, get my butt beaten by a girl? _That_ girl in particular? Not a chance. The girl stretches her hand forward, the ball resting on top of her palm, and her other hand in the air ready to strike at any given moment. Ugh, I don’t care if I don’t know the rules to this ridiculous game, I’ll hit back with everything I’ve got.

“This one’s for you, Kaito-san,” Gumi winks over at me, and within the blink of an eye, the ball shoots up into the air in one swift, precise motion.

“Uh oh.” I barely have enough time to react. It’s hurtling straight toward me, being hit over the net near perfectly. Where is it going to land when it comes down? Will I be able to dash forward in time? Right now I’m stood here gawking at the ball, like a deer in headlights.

“I got it!” Miku dives over to my rescue, sliding over to my side of the play area, only just whacking it back over the net.

“Ahhh… S-Sorry…!” I foolishly apologise, which distracts me once more.

Miku has to run back over to her side of the play area, which doesn’t give her enough time to once again return the ball, as Gakupo hit it within the space of about a god damn millisecond right up at the front. She misses the ball narrowly, and it plops onto the floor with a sad squeak as it rolls toward my feet.

“Aw yeah, point to Mahogany Creek!” Gumi bursts out, her arrogance coming out in a rough tone. She ought to be careful, if she swings that big head around for too long, I just might be tempted to pop it with a pin.

Miku lets out a small sigh. “Try to focus, okay?” Although she’s not particularly telling me off or anything, it still stings a bit to hear her disappointed in me.

“Better listen to your girlfriend, Kaito-san, otherwise this match will be over in five minutes flat,” Gakupo smirks. If we weren’t in the presence of teachers, I’d be giving this dickhead the middle finger so hard right now.

“Ow!” A sudden shriek comes from the second net, and though it’s hard to make out at first, I realise that it comes from Lily. “You silly little girl, you dented my brand new manicure!!” She screeches like a banshee fresh from hell at the blue-haired girl on the opposite side of the net. Una, was it?

“Time out, time out!” Mr. Hiyama blows a whistle in frustration, quickly coming to assess the extent of the damage. Has it really only taken one minute for Lily to cause this much of a fuss? Una is quivering on the spot as the blonde-haired girl continues to wail and cry, shoving her supposed ‘dented nail’ in the principal’s face.

Shaking my head, I drag my attention away from the comical scene and bend down to retrieve the ball at my feet. I assume it’s my turn to serve now. It’s been a while since I’ve done this. I can’t do the fancy twirls and stuff like Gumi, but maybe I can try my hand at some sneaky tricks.

“You sure you got this, Kaito-kun? I could serve, if you want,” Miku offers. Besides all that, I want to show my girlfriend that I’m serious about this and that I won’t get kicked around by those idiots.

“Mhm,” I nod, with a bit of confidence. This mightn’t work at all, but… Here goes. I pick the ball up, deciding in that moment to use a high throw like the girl opposite did. When playing volleyball, one is supposed to fix their eyes on the point they aim the ball at, right? With that in mind, I look straight ahead to Gumi, making her guess that I’ll send it her way. Extending my arm, and admittedly wobbling a little bit as I position my legs because balancing is difficult like this, I get ready to serve. I throw it into the air and sort of hop up to reach out to it. And that’s when, in a split second, I change the line of trajectory…! Gakupo doesn’t even see it coming his way – I officially outsmarted them!

“H-Huh-?!” A confused gasp escapes the both of them as the ball thrusts towards the purple-haired male, rather than coming straight over at Gumi. Gakupo trips over his feet as he rushes forward in an attempt to contact the ball, but just as his clenched hands makes the connection, his body smacks against the net and he almost falls to his feet.

“Ahah!” I cackle in delight at the sight of their downfall. Even if it’s only one point in our favour… That’ll show ‘em.

“Woah, Kaito-kun…! That’s a point to us already, good job!” Miku’s eyes light up in excitement at the prospect of making a comeback.

“Tch...” Gakupo coldly grumbles under his breath, sending a rather harsh glare my way. “So you got lucky. Who cares? That won’t work twice.”

Y’know, this whole rivalry thing is actually kind of… fun? Caught up in the moment, I flash him a friendly yet intensely competitive grin. His eye catches mine, and for a second he appears to be taken back by it… Though slowly but surely, he lightly returns the feeling. My heart pounds a little harder in my chest at the overall insignificant moment we just shared. What is this…? Ugh, just focus, Kaito.

“Don’t let him pull that crap again, Gakupo-kun. You’re better than that.” Gumi is acting all sour and lecturing him again. In that instance, he pulls his eyes from mine and what I thought had been a genuine smile fades and is replaced with another serious scowl. I must’ve been seeing things. There’s no way Mahogany Creek kids are nice.

“That’s right,” he answers bluntly. He directs his bitterness at Miku. “Go ahead and serve already, pigtails.”

**…**

The timer that the principal set goes off sooner than I anticipated. The soft beeping alerts us that it’s game over just as the ball is coming toward me. “Oof-!” I exhale sharply, managing to catch it in my hands but it still smacks off my chest.

“Score, please.” Ms. Yuzuki clutches her clipboard, looking over to our area expectantly. Yeah, that match could’ve went a lot better.

Gakupo takes responsibility of reporting the ‘good news’ to the teacher – the score which clearly states our loss. Ms. Yuzuki finally brightens up upon hearing of their victory. She proudly trots over to the second net, and I’m gobsmacked to learn that Lily and Oliver somehow won.

“Wh-What…?” Miku whispers, narrowing her eyes.

“Maybe breaking her nail caused her to go into psycho revenge mode,” I quietly ponder, mostly thinking out loud.

“Hah! How does that dirt taste, Shion?” Gumi suddenly starts to brag once the teachers are out of sight and focused on the other team. Is she seriously rubbing it in now? “Pretty embarrassing to get destroyed by a girl, isn’t it?”

I just shake my head slowly, deciding to block her gloating out. “C’mon, Mi-chan. Let’s go sit down.” Now that the adrenaline of the match is wearing off, and I’m heading over to the benches, my hunger comes back with a vengeance. There’s still a while to go until the whole event is over, too. Even though each match is just fifteen minutes, it’ll take forever to get through all of them.

On our way over, I pass by Dell and Neru as they’re called up next. Of course, they’re not exactly not walking together. My sweat marks of shame and exhaustion is easy for them to see as we cross paths. “Well, good luck, dude.”

Dell offers me a half-smile, patting me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry too much. I’m gonna kick their butts to make up for the loss.” Who exactly will they be facing, anyway?

Right on cue, Mr. Hiyama announces the other pair to face Dell and Neru. “Let’s see here… Ah, perfect. Rin, Len. On the left side of the net, please.”

Dell’s mischievous smirk grows a bit wider as he hears that. “Oh, definitely. See you on the other side.”

“Good luck, Dell-kun!” Miku softly smiles, and with that, he heads off.

“I get the feeling he’s going to enjoy beating those two,” I say to her, setting myself down on the bench. I let a yawn pass my lips, stretching my now aching arms out in front of me. My hands are pretty red and burning, too.

“I’ll be a few minutes, Kaito-kun. Gonna see if the teachers will be generous enough to let me use the bathroom.” She lets me know with a giggle.

“Sure, I’ll be right here,” I answer, and watch her prepare to face the two terrifying dragons. A heavy sigh escapes me a moment later. The matches have just begun. I’ll probably watch them soon… SeeU and Fukase will likely be a lot less lucky compared to their other two friends. I can already guess the outcome, anyway. Propping my arms behind my head, I lean back against the hard wall and let my eyes lightly slip shut.

“Hey...”

“Hm?” I open one eye at the unfamiliar voice and look over at whoever it is. “Gakupo? What the hell are you doing sitting next to me?” I jump up and lash out at him. He’s got some nerve, hasn’t he? I narrow my eyes at him, trying to make sense of his motive. I’m also trying to read that expression on his face despite the fact that it tells me literally nothing about what he may really be feeling.

“Just wanted to say, it was one hell of a match, huh?” Gakupo nonchalantly attempts to make conversation. I don’t understand this. Is he really trying to be all buddy-buddy with me, coming up to me and acting like we’re old friends or something? Sure, the competitive aspect to all this is fun, but that absolutely does not mean I want to be his friend.

I scoff right in his face. “I don’t get why you’re acting like we could ever be friends, so you better quit while you’re ahead. Let’s make this clear right now. I don’t _like you,_ Gakupo. I will _never_ like you.”

Ah, there’s that twitch of a smirk I’ve been waiting for. He casually presses his palms against his cheeks, leaning in a bit closer to me. He drops his voice to a whisper that causes a shudder to run down my spine. “Are you really sure about that?”

In that moment, I’m not sure about anything any more. He doesn’t even need to ask anything else, or even imply what he means. That one question alone is enough to run my blood cold. Suddenly it feels like he and I are the only ones in this room. The distant pounding of volleyballs off the floor starts to sort of tune out as I try my hardest to come up with an answer to avoid this particular conversation. I don’t know why I’m hesitating in the first place. There’s no way I could like this guy, not at all. But… That weird feeling is back…

“Oh my god, you’re not even denying it.” Gakupo rears back, snorting with laughter. There’s something about that cocky tone of his and that god damn punch-able face… Something that feels oddly… familiar? Fuck, it’s making my head throb just to think about. “Well, as flattered as I am, I gotta say you sure are pathetic, Kaito-san. Or shall I just call you Kai-kun? You like it when I use that nickname for you?~” His soft teasing purrs causes me to shudder lightly.

“D-Don’t be ridiculous,” I hiss. Yet I still stammered just then. “You really are big headed, aren’t you? Why on earth could you possibly think I’m interested in someone like you? I don’t know if you haven’t noticed, but I have a girlfriend. A-And I’m not even into guys…!” I keep my voice low as possible. Also, that’s kind of a lie. I’ve had crushes on guys in the past, but I’ve always kept that little secret to myself. He doesn’t need to know, anyway. It’d just give him more fuel to taunt me.

“Oh, yeah? You sure about that?” He keeps repeating that stupid line. Making me question myself. He’s trying to throw me off for the last two events, I know it. His suggestive tone is poking away at me, doing its best to find the cracks in my self-esteem and sneak its way inside to slowly break me. “You’re telling me, if we were alone right now, and I backed you up into a corner… No, if I backed you up against this wall here… You’d look me in the eyes and tell me you weren’t interested?”

H-Holy fuck, he’s so conceited and gross…! He really has no shame! Think, Kaito. How can I possibly get back at him and make him stop this nonsense? Deep breath. Don’t stammer or trip over your words. “Why are you so obsessed?” My confident gaze pierces and counters his cockiness effectively. “The way you’re going on right now, it sounds like you’re the one who’s interested in me. Not the other way around.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Damn it, just when I thought it started to work. “I’m just here to let you know… Your friends wouldn’t be too happy if they knew the truth, would they?”

“What are you…?”

“H-Hey, leave Kaito-kun alone, you big jerk…!” Blinking in surprise at the sudden voice, I whip my head around to see a pissed off Miku storming up to the purple-haired boy. She’s kind of shy in her approach, as though hesitant to face the consequences of telling off someone from Mahogany Creek, but she does it for me anyway.

“Oh, my. I’ve upset the girlfriend.” His tone flips to that of an innocent one in an instant, although his eyes are still reflecting a speck of malicious intent. He pulls himself to his feet, throwing his arms up to rest behind his head, sauntering off without another word all while whistling softly to himself.

I grumble under my breath, directing a deadly stare to his back as he tucks his tail between his legs and leaves after that bullshit show. I’m brought back into reality by a gentle hand resting on my shoulder. “Ah… Mi-chan…” Are my cheeks warm from her touch, or because his words had a lasting effect on me?

“Was he picking on you again?” Miku pouts, setting herself down beside me. “He’s such a meanie…! You were right all along, we can’t try and be friends with those horrible people.”

Maybe he’s just trying to mess with my head before tonight’s music show. I doubt he meant half of that crap he spouted. Still, I didn’t deny any of it. I can’t… can’t have a crush, not when I’m… “He was just rubbing his victory in my face. Nothing new there,” I huff, deciding it’s best not to mention it.

“Mmh,” she mumbles in a saddened tone. She picks her lowered eyes up to check on the matches. “Looks like Dell-kun is doing well. Neru-chan, too…”

Pushing that cripplingly awkward conversation aside for now, I focus my attention over at the nets. I recoil back instinctively when I see Dell ‘accidentally’ hits the volleyball with a bit too much force in the direction of the male Kagamine twin. Len falls into his trap, stumbling forward to return the hit, but he connects with the net in the process. Dirty tricks, Dell. At least that’s one point. “Neru-chan doesn’t look particularly enthusiastic about facing her, uh… new boyfriend…”

“I never knew she was the type to get silly crushes,” Miku softly admits. That sure is something. Those two girls have been friends for the longest time. I figured she would know a lot about her, but it seems like that’s not always the case. “Ah… Match over. I wonder if they won?”

Giving a light shrug, I listen for Mr. Hiyama’s announcement. If both our pairs lose, then it’s probably going to be an early game over. After all, we can’t count on just Lily and Oliver to take on whoever the principals see fit. “Alright, a quick tally will show that the winning pairs on both nets are… Ah, wonderful! Dell and Neru, as well as Aoki and Merli. Well done to both teams.”

“I knew they’d pull it off. Dell-kun would never forgive himself if he let Len-san and Rin-san take the win.” I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much, but I suppose that doesn’t matter now. We’re onto the second round with a good chance. Time to see how the rest of this plays out.

**…**

A few more intense matches take place before my eyes. Admittedly, it’s a little bit boring just sitting on the sidelines and watching it all go down; part of me wishes I didn’t mess up so much, so I could be up front in the action myself. The more I watch, the more exciting it all looks. Wow, I might actually be motivated to take up exercising more often after the Talent Trials. Eh, maybe that’s too much hard work, actually…

The first two matches of the second round had Lily and Oliver facing Aoki and Merli on separate play areas. One versus one matches turn the heat and competition up to a whole new level, and it’s pretty funny to watch Lily fail miserably. Poor blonde, her single braincell has been pushed to its limit after just one match, so naturally it’s impossible for her to win against Merli. She throws a mini-fit in the middle of the hall when she fails serve after serve, making a total fool of herself in the end when Merli is announced the winner. Although Oliver just keeps bringing in the surprises when he beats Aoki clean with a high score to him, and zero points to her.

The final two matches are ones I’ve been looking forward to witnessing the most. Dell is facing off against none other than Gakupo – luckily his intimidation tactics haven’t worked on my silver-haired friend just yet. Neru is taking on the ego-filled Gumi.

“This is actually kinda exciting,” Miku says, with a small laugh. “You think Dell-kun still has enough energy to beat that scary jerk Gakupo-san?”

“Dell-kun practically never runs out of steam when he’s got his sights set on victory,” I respond. “But… If he’s facing Gakupo… It’s a tough one. Although, Gumi-san’s attitude and boastful ways will be her downfall against Neru-chan.”

“Mm, you think so?” Miku sounds intrigued by my commentary, which I can’t help but laugh lightly at. She's so into this, it's cute. Feels like we’re professional judges at this point, anyway.

Just as I thought, Dell gives the match his best shot but ends up being a couple points short of winning. It seemed like it was incredibly close. Neru, on the other hand, finally bursts Gumi's bubble and hands her a painful reality check that she can't always be the best. I'm just glad Neru hadn't given up on winning despite things being shaky between us right now.

Dell trails over to Miku and I at the benches, a heavy huff squeezing its way out of him as he plops himself down. "Yeesh, I'm exhausted… I need sleep…" comes his barely audible voice. He's struggling to keep his eyes open, and not only can I see the sweat patches on his gym clothes, but I can _smell_ it. Dude needs a shower more than rest.

"Aww, poor sweaty Dell-kun…" Miku's soothing tone stings, as it's more patronising than helpful, especially considering he lost his match. "Neru-chan still has a chance at winning. Oliver-san, as well."

"I can't put my faith in either of those," Dell groans. He must think that he should be the one up there. "Besides. They have to face that earth-walking freaky demon. No one can take that guy on. He's a stuck up jerk, but he actually has the skills to back it up, unlike a certain green-haired girl…" He tilts his head in a terribly not so subtle manner toward Gumi, who's only sitting a short distance away.

I frantically shake my head at the tired idiot, signalling for him to not get her all riled up again. I'm met with an exaggerated, fatigued shrug.

Mr. Hiyama once again makes the announcements for the third round. Almost there. My stomach can hold on for half an hour more, can't it? I feel like I'll die if I have to wait any longer to feed my poor soul. "Okay, everyone. Doing great so far. We're in the final stretch now, so that means we'll be cutting down the time of each match a little more."

"Interesting…" I mumble.

"That's right! It's speed round time, kids!" Ms. Yuzuki grins. Someone needs to get this lady some pills before she loses her marbles, and fast. I swear she's become more and more unhinged since we first met her. "Each match will be ten minutes! That includes the final round, where the ultimate winners will go face to face for the last time, and determine who earns a point for the trials!"

Mr. Hiyama pauses to stare down at his clipboard for a moment, as if to double check who will be facing who. "Hmm, yes. This seems about right. Gakupo, Neru. On the first net, please. Oliver, Merli. On the second."

My eye twitches ever so slightly at the _awful_ assignment. Well… Neru probably would have to face Gakupo no matter what… But I can't handle the stress of such a huge match so soon…! We're doomed. Oliver may be able to beat Merli, but he'll never beat Gakupo. All my confidence is gone. Shattered into tiny pieces. And shattered again into dust, just for extra measure.

"L-Let's try to stay hopeful…" Miku gulps, taking hold of my hand and gently squeezing it. Some school spirit from these people would be a nice change. I'd be more hopeful if Lily and her devil spawn were actually supporting Neru and Oliver, or at least just Oliver. But no.

Ten minutes can drag by at a snail's pace when something hugely important is going on. All those other matches had flown by, but I can hear the seconds ticking away agonisingly slowly in my head, and I find myself glued to every last movement of Neru and Gakupo. I'm not bothered in the slightest by Oliver's pivotal match; this one is the only one that's piqued my interest.

There are little to no slip ups in their movements. No out of bounds serves, no contact with the nets, no triple touching or whatever else that weird rule is. Nothing. Each of their techniques is near flawless. I didn't know Neru had so much passion and determination when it comes to sports. I just hope it's enough for her to pull it off.

**…**

Neru's breathing is heavy and her entire body seems to be soaked in sweat when the last whistle of the day blows. She presses her palms firmly against her thighs, heaving to catch her breath while slumped over. "T-Tell me… wh-who won already… I wasn't keeping score, damn it," she huffs out between gasps for air.

Neither was I, actually. I'm still stunned at the fact that a sour-faced Gakupo is sitting a small distance away from us on the benches. I've been numb this entire time.

"I don't… don't believe it…!" Merli's tone is filled with shame and disgust at herself, as she takes a moment to apparently calculate the score in her head. She's just as wiped out as her final match partner, although obviously a lot more composed in terms of posture and extreme breathing. "Ms. Yuzuki, I'm… so sorry for failing you…"

Wait, does that mean…?

The woman looks as though she's about to snap the pencil in her hands. It's trembling from the tight claws wrapped around it. That's probably just how Merli feels at the horrible silence the teacher gives as a reply.

Neru's eyes grow wide. She can't believe what she's accomplished. Holy hell, I can't either! "W-Wow, so I… I…" She's at a loss for words. "I need to sit down."

"I-I feel so happy that Oak Valley won again, but…" Miku starts, but her words trail off. It's just not the same. We can't share in Neru's glory this time. If things were still normal between us, we'd undoubtedly be crushing her with hugs and showering her with compliments to boost that ego of hers.

"I can't take this any longer," Dell sighs. "I'm gonna go talk to her somewhere private. Don't wait for me to eat lunch, alright?"

"But…" Before I can stop him from doing something foolish, he's already up and gone. I exchange worried glances with Miku. "We need to follow them, don't we?"

Miku quickly nods as an answer. "He's either gonna lose his temper with her, or he's going to confess his feelings…" Both sound like terrible things – things he'd most definitely do. He's such a hothead, damn it.

Food can wait a little longer. Glancing up, I notice that Dell and Neru are walking out of the hall together, along with the other students that are now dispersing after a strenuous event. Those idiots didn't even change back into their normal clothes. Looks like we'll have to come back later to retrieve them. Great.

And thus begins our sneak mission. Miku is light-footed when on the pair's trail, yet I, on the other hand, could learn a thing or two about how to do it properly. Dell seems to be leading her to a secluded spot, somewhere out in the cool breeze, where no one will think to look for them or stumble across them.

Miku and I stay a good enough distance away from them, and we also don't follow directly behind them. We hang back at certain spots, so we don't get caught in case one of them decides to look back in regret or something like that. All we have to communicate with is our over the top facial expressions. That's brilliant.

Finally, they come to a stop. It's more out in the open than I had hoped. It's a part of the campus where a small lot of water trickles through, with a few benches spread out next to a path and some lovely green grass. Conveniently enough, leading up to the area, there are a mass of trees and bushes off to the left and right – perfect for hiding behind undetected.

Grunting quietly to myself as I crouch down behind a tree, I poke my head out to the side in order to get a clear view. I feel so sly right now. Miku and I didn't _really_ need to follow these two, did we? Seems we're just nosey at the end of the day, so much so, that we'll ignore our hunger for the sake of drama.

Miku sticks her tongue out a bit in concentration as she kneels beside me, trying to align her head well enough to get a good view through the crowd of trees. "Mmm…" She hums in mild frustration.

"Shh," I hiss to her. Dell and Neru are only a little while away from us. No doubt they'll hear us if we're too loud, since it's so quiet around here.

"Alright, so why did you drag me all the way over here?" Neru sounds pretty impatient. I think she has her arms folded over her chest. "I promised Len-kun I'd get lunch with him, so make whatever this is fast." Ouch.

"Geez, even when it's just the two of us, all you ever do is go on and on about your precious Len-kun," Dell scowls. He's directly facing the tomboy. This is gonna be painful and cringe inducing to witness, isn't it. "I wanted to tell you how much I miss you… H-How much we _all_ miss you, I mean. And still, you can't stop thinking about your new best buddy?"

Yeah, nice save. Neru is oblivious, at least, so she won't figure out that small slip up of his.

Neru gasps lightly at that. "You guys are the ones who just tossed me aside and gave up on me so easily…!" She's clearly offended, and is insistent that she's not at fault.

"Oh come on, she ditched us, not the other way around…!" I quietly complain.

This time, it's Miku's turn to shush me, with a slight whack to my arm.

"That's bullshit," Dell argues. "We gave you a chance to knock off the friendly with the enemy crap, and you chose them. You chose _him._ "

There's silence for a moment or so… I really can't see their faces through these damn trees. Finally, Neru speaks up. "Did you just bring me here to lecture me? You know, you didn't even give Len-kun a chance. He's such an awesome, caring guy…" There's that slightly bashful voice. "But you're more concerned about proving they're somehow cheating."

"I told you, I came here to try and give you a chance to hang out with us again, and not those… those smug idiots…!" Dell grows visibly more frustrated. From what I can see, his fists are clenched up. "Damn it, why are you so blind and stupid?"

"Hey…!" Neru snaps, with a light stomp of her foot off the ground beneath her. "I'm not gonna stand here and listen to you insult me and my new friends. If this is literally all you wanted to say, then I'm done."

"...wait!" Narrowing my eyes, I see that he's now gripping her wrist, pulling her back to stop her from leaving. Ooh. He's gonna mess this up so bad. He can't convince her on his own.

"Let go of me," Neru quietly demands. She yanks her arm free, with a tut. "You're such an asshole, Dell-kun. You showed you didn't give a shit about me yesterday when you and the others gave up on me like that, so… So why the hell are you pretending to care now? I don't get you. What is your deal? Are you jealous or somethin', huh?!" She yells right in his face, growing more accusing with each question, pushing his buttons until she's finally right on the mark.

"Kaito-kun…" Miku whispers with a frown. I can tell that seeing these two fight is breaking her heart. I gently rest my hand on top of hers, despite the awkward position we're in.

"You know what? Yeah, I am jealous. Happy?" He bursts out the unexpected, which stuns Neru into silence once more. Hell, if I was part of this argument and talking, I'd fall silent right about now, too. "I've been trying to win your affection for so long now, but the minute some snobby asshole walks in, you give him all of your attention, as if I don't even exist!" It's a confession of his feelings, but his tone is far from soft and loving. More like, bitter and annoyed, blaming her for the whole thing.

"Wh-What… what the fuck are you talking about…?" She's obviously shaken by the sudden admittance of feelings. Congratulations, clueless girl. It's gonna take a while to sink in. She shakes her head in denial. "What are you saying, Honne? You seriously have a crush on me?"

I know Neru is pissed and all right now, but this level of harshness is tipping into thin ice territory. I chew my lower lip, nervous.

"This isn't the way I planned on telling you but you gave me no choice." He sticks his hands into his pockets, sighing deeply while kicking some small rocks under his shoe. "Yeah, I like you, Neru-chan. I can't keep it in any longer. Seeing you choose Len-san over me… No, over Miku-chan and Kaito-kun, too… It hurts. I can't bear it. Just, come back to us, will you?"

Damn, even my heart is pounding in anticipation now. To express himself sincerely, he lowered his voice to a hush just then. It's pretty damn romantic. Neru would be totally stupid to not realise her own feelings and come to her senses after that.

"You're kidding… Right?"

Well, shit.

"What?" Dell narrows his eyes, confused. "Why would I joke about something like this? I… I've liked you for a while, Neru-chan. You're just so-"

"Ugh, god, stop it already…!" She waves her hands in front of her, as though to hear any more would make her physically sick. I have a serious urge to jump in and _slap_ this idiot! Why the hell is she suddenly being so cruel?

"This… this really isn't like you." Dell sounds crushed. His heart has broken into pieces, but he's forcing himself to remain strong. "They're changing you, Neru-chan. They're master manipulators, you know that."

"Pfft!" Neru snorts. "You have no idea what's 'like me' and what's not. But what you should know is that I don't like _you._ The thought of having a crush on you makes me wanna gag. The only one I like is Len-kun. You're just calling him manipulative and all that other bullshit 'cause you're jealous. And you're damn pathetic."

"N-Neru-chan…" That soft whimper comes from Miku. When I turn to look at her, tears begin to spill from her eyes. I'm quick to wrap my arm around her waist, at a loss for words and have no idea how I can possibly comfort my girlfriend.

"You've turned into a complete bitch," Dell growls, in a low tone. "What the hell have those Mahogany weirdos done to you?"

"There's that jealousy again," Neru retorts. A cruel grin widens on her features. "Are you scared that Len-kun and Rin-chan are better friends than you and those other two losers? Well, spoiler alert, they _are._ I never wanted to be part of your stupid fucking friendship group. You humiliated me in front of Lily all those years ago, took away my chance to really get ahead in life, and held me back to make me the laughing stock and target of her friends…!"

If I bite down any harder on my lip it'll start to bleed. Needless to say, I'm beyond pissed upon hearing this revelation. That's how she felt about us, the entire time…?!

Miku holds back her sobs, though I can feel her shaking against me. I pull her closer to me the best I can, all the words I want to say just getting caught up in my throat.

"Well, now I have Len-kun and his friends. I don't need Lily any more. And I don't need the rest of you. So shove your pitiable crush up your ass, 'cause there's no way you'll ever be in my league, Dell Honne." Without any warning, Neru comes stomping past the trees to leave the boy behind, leaving the scene altogether.

I can't even process why she'd say all those things _now_ of all times… And I don't have time to focus on that. My girlfriend needs me right now, as does Dell. I gently grab Miku's hands and pull her up to her feet. "Come on… We'll get through this together, somehow." I don't have time for my own feelings. Gotta keep the three of us together…

Holding Miku's hand tightly in my own, I lead her away from the trees and toward the opening that leads up to the benches. Getting a clearer view now, I see that Dell is just standing there, staring off into the distance with a blank expression on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Dell-kun…" I approach him, my heart sinking in my chest when I get a closer look at his face. There are no tears in his eyes… The strength he has is incredibly commendable, indeed.

"I-I don't understand… Sh-She's my best friend, I thought she'd come back t-to me…!" Miku lets out another cry, pressing her forehead against my chest. I pull her into a tight hug, and she starts to lightly beat against my torso with her weakened fists. I softly pat the top of her head as she lets out her anger. "It's not fair… Not fair… Not fair…!! Wh-Why do Mahogany Creek always manage to win in the end, no matter how hard we try?"

"I don't know, Miku-chan…" Dell mumbles, reaching a hand out to rest on her shoulder. With his free hand, he covers his eyes with his palm. "I wish I knew."

Standing there, still stunned and numb, I'm the only one who can think of a way to get us through this. They won't break us. It's time we start to fight back – enough is enough.

**…**  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaahhh Neru, how could you do thissss?! Perhaps the pressure got to her too much... or could it possibly be something or someone else's influence...? Kaito is going to find out no matter what! Let's hope he's prepared for whatever he finds.


	10. Chapter Nine - The Hidden Library

That dream is still eating away at my entire being. I pushed it to the dark, dusty corners of my mind, since there’s so much more I need to be focusing on. Though now that I finally have a moment to relax, the angelic singing of my girlfriend is becoming more and more distant as I space out without fully realising. Her melody is just background noise at this point; a quiet, yet dramatic soundtrack to accompany my recollection of that fateful dream.

“Kaito-kun… Kaito-kun?”

Snap, snap.

Blinking rapidly at the sight of fingers being clicked right in my face, I’m brought back from the daydream realm. Oh… I wonder how long ago Miku stopped rehearsing. “S-Sorry, I...”

“Totally zoned out,” Dell shakes his head, tutting. He straightens his posture after leaning down and getting all up close to me. “What happened to piano?”

Ah. That’s right, I’m sitting in front of a brilliant piano right now. One that I’m supposed to be using, or at least attempting to use. “I...” Still can’t get out the right words. My head’s all over the place. “Sorry…?” I repeat the same line as before, offering a small shrug.

“It’s been a long day already,” Miku softly says, sliding the mic back into its stand. She twirls round on the spot, pigtails swiftly following. “I don’t blame him. Poor Kaito-kun, you look so tired.”

I’ve already had lunch, so I can’t use hunger as an excuse for slacking off in practice. Should I tell them about the dream, though? It’d only indulge Miku’s girly fantasies, and Dell would surely mock me for the rest of the week about something he considers ‘lame’. This isn’t the right time to keep dropping weird surprises on them, anyway.

“I’m fine. I got it. Look,” I say, stretching my fingers across the keys to one of the more complicated chords in the piece. My pinkie can only _just_ touch the higher note I need. I press my fingers into the keys, and to my surprise we’re all met with the horrible clashing of dissonance – it’s loud, too. “Oops-!”

“Ow, geez…!” Dell whacks my hands off the keys before I can pull them away myself.

Flashing a nervous smile, I swing my legs over the side of the stool. “I guess my finger slipped...”

“D-Don’t worry, we’ll get it soon,” Miku forces a sweet grin, though it’s obvious I just killed her ears. “I get it, anyway… It’s hard to focus on rehearsals with everything…”

Dell lets out a sort of huff, slipping the bass guitar strap off from around his shoulder, setting the instrument at an angle against a nearby amp. “Tell me about it,” he mutters bitterly in agreement. We started band practice just a short while ago. Looks like this is all we’ll be doing until a second session later in the day.

“I… I need to go cool off.” I promptly pull myself up from the piano stool, avoiding eye contact with both of them. I’m starting to sweat inside this cramped studio. Besides, there are some things I need to do, and I don’t want them coming with me. There’s no way I’ll drag them into this mess and risk getting them disqualified.

“H-Huh?” Miku sounds confused and hurt. “B-But, we still need to...”

“You and Dell-kun can keep going,” I respond, digging my hands into my pockets. “I just… really need to do something. You understand, right?”

“Not really,” the silver-haired boy half-laughs. “But if you need to cool off, then go ahead. Don’t take too long, though. We need you, if you’re still serious about winning.” Of course. I wouldn’t be doing this otherwise.

Miku finally sighs quietly, before giving in. “Mmh. Okay.”

Without saying anything else, I take my leave from the studio. Heading out into the mostly empty halls, I’m hit with a wave of cool air, which takes some of the throbbing tension away from my head. My intended approach to all of this is to stay calm and speak in a collected manner. Sinking to their level is exactly what they want, so I have to be the mature one in order to be taken seriously at all.

I spend a while dragging myself through the halls and across a good stretch of the campus. Perhaps this is a wild goose chase, and wasting precious rehearsal time, but that fact doesn’t matter right now. Damn it, why is that each hall and every last blade of grass I pass in this school, I’m surrounded by every single Mahogany student possible except for the ones I’m so desperately looking for? The urge to get some answers has been gnawing away at me ever since last night, and I can’t ignore it for much longer now.

When I step out into the open, somewhere near the fields, I’m greeted by the enthusiastic shouts of the younger students cheering on their classmates for what I can only assume to be their Talent Trial. Well, that school spirit thing is working out, at least. There are a few benches overlooking the sports track, and finally, I catch sight of the four girls I’ve been looking for. My glance is drawn over to the girl with the hair almost as blue as mine – Una. Taking in a breath, I stop for a moment and consider how I’m going to approach them. What exactly should I start with? Knowing these girls, they’ll cry ‘harassment’ or something at the slightest bit of confrontation and try to get us disqualified.

Stuffing my hands into my pockets, hoping to create a more nonchalant air about me, I decide not to overthink it so much and head over to them. I step in front of the bench, blocking their view of the sports field up ahead, and as expected I’m met with cold eyes.

“Oh, dear. Looks like that cheater has come to bully us girls now.” Xingchen is the first to speak in her friends’ defense, and ironically, she comes out with that… Out of everything she could’ve said, she wastes no time jumping straight into more accusations. She wraps an arm around Una; the blue haired girl has her eyes fixed to the ground.

“Of course. Fighting with Gakupo-san wasn’t enough for you, huh?” I’m met with more hostile remarks. This time, the girl with the dark purple-ish hair continues in Xingchen’s place.

I groan under my breath. Why did I think this would be a good idea? No matter… I’m here now. “I didn’t come here to bully anyone, actually. And I’m not here to make accusations. But it seems you don’t really care about playing nice, because you aren’t wasting any time biting my head off.” I speak in a calm tone, not letting my irritation seep through, unlike them.

“So, what is it? You came here to brag?” Merli’s sister, Aoki, scowls at me. “You already got lucky enough to snatch that win out of our hands in the math event. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m sure your methods weren’t legit, just like the rest of the events.”

I narrow my eyes, slowly shaking my head. Ya know what, fuck being nice. “You’re one to talk about legitimacy, aren’t you?” I remark, peering down at the necklaces hanging around their necks. They’re still wearing them, and they’re still as creepy as ever. I’m able to get a better look at the rubies that Merli and Aoki wear – a leaf shaped gem and the other a plain old normal-looking gem, respectively. “You can stop playing dumb now. We already figured out what you’re doing.”

“H-How dare you…!” Una pulls her eyes up from her feet and I’m admittedly a little caught off guard by the fire behind that pained, sour expression that’s taken over her. She stares directly at me, and though she appears to be hesitant to speak her mind, she does so anyway. “Why on earth do you think we’d cheat or steal your ideas? You’re not worth our time at all, you horrible bully!”

I take a small step back, falling silent. Something about the way she’s lashing out at me… No, the words she’s saying in particular… Why do they feel so genuine? Mahogany Creek students are all the same, aren’t they? Hey now, I can’t falter just yet. This is all part of the act, isn’t it?

“It’s alright, Una-san...” Xingchen rests her hand on the girl’s shoulder, squeezing gently to calm her down.

Una appears to be trembling in… Anger? Or is it fear mixed with the adrenaline rush of standing up to me – someone she perceives to be a bully? Whatever it is, it seems all too genuine, and all my comebacks just get tied up at the back of my throat.

“You need to leave,” Aoki hisses at me. She doesn’t sound directly angry any more, but it’s still an obvious threat.

If I leave now, I’ve just wasted the time I should’ve spent rehearsing with Miku and Dell. I can’t give up now. Just… Ignore those burning eyes of hers, Kaito… “You can pretend all you want,” I shrug. “It’s those weird necklaces that you’re all wearing. You Mahogany Creek kids are all rich and stuck-up, but even I never expected you to stoop so god damn low. I mean, really.”

“Wh-What are you…?” Merli’s confidence takes a slight dive at that. So, it really must be those necklaces. They’re some kind of cheating devices? That has to be it. Otherwise she wouldn’t have reacted this way.

“I knew it…! You’re using _these_ to cheat with, aren’t you?” I regain my courage. They aren’t trying to be nice, so I won’t either. I take a couple of steps forward and reach my hand out toward Xingchen. I swiftly make a grab for the girl’s pendant in hopes to rip it off and finally crush it, or perhaps expose the truth by uncovering their methods of recording conversations… She doesn’t even see me coming since I’m just quick enough, but when I’m a mere inch away or so from touching it… I’m not sure how, but something or someone shoves me backward and I land right on my miserable backside. “Ow…!”

I blink rapidly, darting my glance from side to side, wondering what the hell just happened. I’m a good distance away from the girls, and they appear to be just as shocked and dazed as I am. I think the grass I landed on broke my fall, but… “Hey, what the fuck do you girls think you’re doing?” I immediately direct my irritation toward them, losing just about every last bit of patience I had. I press my palms against the grass to make an attempt to pick myself back up, but the moment I do so, a sharp pain shoots up through my left arm, causing me to fall down all over again. “Gah, shit-!” I turn my palm over and stare at it. I must’ve hurt my wrist while breaking my fall, right? But when I set my glance upon it, there’s some sort of weird red mark in the centre of it, and ever since I tried to stand up it’s started to burn.

“W-We didn’t do anything!” Aoki springs up from the bench, as if she’s the most affected by what happened.

Hold on, my left hand… That’s the one I snatched at Xingchen’s pendant with. But if she shoved me away, how the hell did I end up with this strange red mark? “Nngh...” I screw my eyes shut at the intense pain. It’s getting worse the longer I stay here. Not only is the burning sensation spreading, it’s also getting itchy. “Bullshit,” I hiss, clamping my right palm harder against the grass, supporting myself only with that to finally stand up. I knew there was something up with these girls.

“We need to get out of here,” Merli says, joining her sister and addressing the two that are still sitting there in shock.

“Oh, no no no.” I shake my head and make my way back over to them, although rather slowly since my entire body is aching from that powerful shove. I’ll admit, they’re stronger than I anticipated. But now I’m finally getting somewhere. If their principal finds out about this, she has to do _something_. At least I hope so. She’s sly and has some dirty tricks up her sleeve, but there’s no way she can condone assault. “This just about proves it. I came here for answers, and since you’ve already went ahead and got me on my ass, you can start talking.”

“We didn’t do anything… We’re not cheaters…!” Una begins to frantically shake her head, cowering and cuddling up against her friend Xingchen. There’s that sad little voice of hers again, like she’s about to break out in tears at any moment.

I clench my fist, hoping that squeezing it tightly will ease some of the pain… But also, I want to remind myself that _they_ did this to me, and that I need to stay level-headed rather than falling for their tricks. “I won’t ask again. Give it up, will you? What kind of strange device is tucked away in those gems of yours?”

“Come on, Una-san...” Xingchen speaks soothingly to the blue-haired girl, who’s acting way more like a child than her actual age. She helps Una up to her feet, and urges her to ignore me along with the rest of them.

Now I’m getting annoyed all over again. “Oi!” I snap, surprising even myself at how rough and deep my voice comes out… Like an angry dog growling or something. I don’t like all this pent up anger within me, but they’ve given me no choice. Even so, I lower my voice a bit, not wanting to attract any attention. Getting in trouble is the worst thing that could happen right now. “Enough with the running away. Do you even understand what you’re doing? You have no idea how many friendships and relationships you’re ruining, do you? And that’s what pisses me off the most about you self-absorbed, stuck-up, cocky Mahogany Creek students. You claim to be so smart, so high and mighty, but you have zero awareness of consequences… And I’m just about done with this bullshit…!” My clenched fist is trembling; knuckles whitening.

“Have you ever considered that the root of the problem is closer to home than you thought?” Xingchen glares at me, that intense expression of doubt piercing right into me. “Or is this just your fragile insecurity making you lash out at people that are better than you in every way possible?”

Closer to home…? Ignoring that disgusting high praise she has of herself and her buddies, that first thing she says is something I honestly haven’t considered. Who else will have access to our study notes and plans? Neru has been acting weird ever since the trials began, but she only lashed out ever since the cheating began… Wait. It can’t possibly be… “Are you saying someone I know is doing this? That can’t be. Besides all that, what’s with those stupid necklaces you’re all wearing?”

Xingchen clutches at the ruby hanging down from around her neck, backing away a bit after I tried to grab it earlier. “That’s none of your business.”

“Uh, it most certainly _is_ my business,” I scoff, unclenching my fist and slowly wiggling my fingers to release that tension. It’s still stinging… But nowhere near as bad as before. I hold my hand forward, showing off the mark I received. “So, what is it? Some kind of anti-theft measure along with a microphone to record private conversations?”

Merli narrows her eyes, a glint of suspicion reflecting in there. She folds her arms over her chest, covering up the ruby in the process. “What, you’re saying our necklaces somehow did that?”

“Well, the necklace didn’t push me away itself, did it?” I roll my eyes, my words dripped in heavy sarcasm. I’m met with silence, which isn’t exactly the type of response I expect. They exchange glances amongst themselves. The awkward atmosphere is starting to crush me over here.

“Like we keep saying. We didn’t touch you,” Aoki finally responds, before letting out a huff and turning her back to me. She looks like she’s ready to leave.

“I don’t know what the deal with you Mahogany weirdos is, but I’ll find out.” I realise I’m not going to get anything else out of them at this point. They’re lying about not touching me, anyway. They were so damn fast about it, that I got caught way off guard. They’re sneaky as ever, I’ll give them that. But they’ll have no choice soon, once I expose them. “Fine, don’t answer me. I don’t care. I’ve got all the proof I need.”

“Stay away from us. I don’t take too kindly to bullies. This is your only warning,” Xingchen gives me a not so subtle threat. I’m not worried about that at all. If they beat me up, that’s just more evidence.

“You can do whatever you want to me,” I shrug, stuffing my hands into my pockets, just like I did before I came over here. “Just stay the hell away from Mi-chan and Dell-kun. It’s best you don’t return to her bedroom tonight. Got it?” I’m met with more silence, so I simply tut and turn on my heels.

…

I really should be returning back to Miku and Dell. Yet here I am, wandering these empty halls, head spinning from that crazy encounter with those four girls. “Tch...” I scoff under my breath, my heel squeaking as I idly kick away at the floor beneath me while walking. I don’t feel satisfied, even after learning something so important. Those rubies that had been shining in the sun out on the field were now shining in my mind. Urging me to find out the whole truth.

I pass by the stairs that lead up toward the library. I can either waste some more time and come up with nothing, or just give up and accept that I probably won’t be able to expose their cheating ways. Miku and Dell are counting on me to make a comeback… But isn’t researching this madness a part of striking back? I look back and forth between the stairs and the hall stretching down back toward the rehearsal rooms.

“...screw it,” I huff, gripping hold of the handrail and spinning round at the last minute to hop up the steps. I’m not even sure if the library is still open. It’s about an hour or so after lunch time, and students should either be in lessons or participating in their talent trial. But still, I’ve seen a few just wandering around like I am. No harm in trying.

My plan may not even make any sense. Those thoughts run through my mind as I head closer to the library. I figure if there’s a device that can pick up on conversations small enough to fit into a gem… It’s going to be documented. Ugh, I think I’m losing my mind with all this stress. Is this seriously what my life has become? Part of me knows such a thing doesn’t exist. But if it’s not that, then perhaps the gems give certain people a rare allergic reaction upon touching it. That faint itching sensation is still eating away at the centre of my palm, after all. I just need _something_ to prove their guilt, god damn it…!

Gritting my teeth together ever so slightly as I come toward the library, I shake my head to shoo away those thoughts for now. Irrational as this may be, I need to focus. No one else is going to do anything about this ridiculous situation, so it just has to be me. I grind to a halt outside the library; peering through the glass walls, I notice the entire place is empty. Not one single student. Now that I think about it… Looking around, there’s no one to be seen in the halls out here. I’m sure I passed a few people on my way outside, but coming back in, they’ve all disappeared.

A strange, unexplainable cold shiver crawls down my spine. The air I’m breathing feels thicker than normal… or is it some sort of crushing sensation on my chest, since I know I shouldn’t be doing this? Part of me is betraying Miku and Dell right now by chasing after things I won’t be able to prove, but… Something weird is going on, for sure.

Swallowing lightly to push down that apprehension, I make a grab for the thin, metal door handle. It’s icy to touch. No one has been along here for… well, a while, I assume. Pushing the door open, I step into the library, and it’s as though I’m crossing a forbidden boundary between the normal world and this new dimension of mystery. The library is still open, yet it’s deadly silent. I can almost _hear_ my heart pounding in my chest. “Wh-What the hell is going on…?” I can’t help but mutter out those words, slowly scanning my eyes over the area. There’s really nobody here. Not even a member of staff. Are they really that busy with the events today? Maybe someone forgot to lock up, and I’m here intruding when I shouldn’t be.

Taking in a breath, I take a few steps forward. The silence is killing me already. If I listen any closer, I’ll be able to hear the books telling their many stories in a minute, geez… Where exactly should someone start to look for something so absurd, anyway? The library is split into two sections. One lower section, and some small steps that lead up to another part with more books. I guess I’ll start from the section up the steps and work down.

Preparing myself for a _long_ search, I shake my hoodie to straighten it out and head up those steps. Tilting my head up, I take in the sights of the many piles of books and rather tall bookcases. There ought to be hundreds of books, all stretched out across the lengthy library space… I stomp my way over to the back of the section, deciding to start off on the left side.

“Alright. Here we go,” I mutter to myself, flickering my glance over the rows of books on the shelves in front of me. “Hmm...” I hum lightly, grabbing a single book at random.

_Click._

“Eh?” As I slot that one book out from its place on the shelf, a soft, barely audible click hits my ears. Blinking in confusion, I stop right in my tracks, quickly taking a look over my shoulder. Perhaps a teacher has come back? I narrow my eyes over at the entrance behind me, but nobody is there. If it isn’t the door, then… “Wait, wh-?” I turn back to face the bookshelf and yank at the book, only to find it’s apparently stuck in place. Sort of like someone glued part of it down onto the shelf as some sort of prank. No matter how hard I tug at it, it won’t budge. It only sort of slides out at a weird angle.

_Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…_

A string of those ticking noises follow, and I’m left wondering where on earth it’s coming from. With my attention focused on trying to pinpoint the location of those kind of creepy sounds, I don’t even see the bookshelf swinging around, directed right at my face. “Wuh…!” Only when it’s inches away from whacking me square in the cheek, do I realise what’s going on. And by then, it’s too late.

Somehow, the thing isn’t coming only for my face, but my _entire body_ , and in a matter of about one or two seconds, it whisks me off my feet and leaves me so disoriented that I can’t register it until I’m lying flat on my stomach and seeing stars. “Wh-Wh-What…”

The full force of a heavy bookshelf completely knocks my sense of awareness off for a good while. A deep groan bubbles up from my throat, and I rest there helplessly on the floor until I manage to regain my senses. First, I prop my chin up against the cold floor, and then my hands… Supporting my body, I remain in that position, head drooped as I catch my breath. I slowly open my eyes, and much to my surprise, it’s still just as dark as it had been with them closed. Squinting, I wonder if the fall and shock has left me blinded or something. “F-Fuck, man… What’s with that whole… bookshelf thing…?” I can barely get my words out.

A wave of dizziness rushes over me; I dig my fingernails into the floor beneath me to support myself as best I can, despite my whole body trembling. I squeeze my eyes shut once more, taking in deep breaths. The darkness is starting to wrap itself around me… The unknown cloaking me and threatening to swallow me up… “It’s okay. Stay calm, Kaito. Stay… calm...” I hiss through laboured breathing, reassuring myself that while this is insane, it should be okay.

The panic begins to subside a short while after. With my eyes still shut, I’m brought back to reality from my thoughts with a blinding light now welcoming me. “Shit, that’s… fucking bright…!” I gasp, eyelids twitching at the pain it brings me. Bringing an arm up to shield my face, I hesitantly open my eyes, and the instant I do so, a ray of bright red spills its way toward me. Even covering my face isn’t enough. It’s coming from the centre of the… room…? Wherever I am. And it’s not letting up.

With this source of light, though, my eyes are able to adjust to the darkness, and soon I find that it’s a little more bearable to fully take a look at. A faint red glow bounces off the nearby surroundings, and from what I can see, this looks like a replica of the library outside. The floor I’m kneeling on is the same, there are outlines of the same tall bookcases… “How is this possible?” I mumble, and at that moment, I muster up enough strength to push myself up from the pathetic position I’m in. That’s two falls I’ve taken today. I really should man up sooner or later. My back is killing me here.

With a better view now that I’m standing, I’m able to make out a bit more of the room. It’s definitely another library. But this should really be impossible. Spinning around, there’s that damn bookshelf behind me. Is this some sort of prank? Groaning quietly to myself, I press my hand against the books. Trying to push it proves to be worthless, as it won’t move an inch. Like it’s stuck in place. “If this is a prank, it isn’t funny...” It’s probably someone from that stupid rival school that’s behind this. If this bookshelf really has the library on the other side of it, then just what on earth is this? There’s a wall behind that bookshelf last I checked. So just how the hell is there a whole new room in its place?

I slowly turn back around. That light is still shining brightly as ever, as though enticing me and urging me to come forward… Shrugging, I carefully head down the small steps, ones identical to the others outside. If I’m going to be stuck here for a while, I might as well indulge their dumb game until they get bored and let me out. Approaching the source of that light, I can see much clearer that it’s pouring out from an already open book resting gently on top of a clunky wooden pedestal. My stomach is turning and twisting itself inside out here. This can’t be a prank… But that red light is familiar. Just like those rubies the girls are wearing. They’re involved in some weird shit, that’s the only conclusion I can draw from this.

Leaning down a bit to get a closer look at the book, I’m met with that nostalgia-inducing old book scent wafting up toward me. Reluctantly reaching a hand forward, I lightly press my fingertips against one of the pages. It feels rather delicate, like it’s been sitting out for years… Swiping my fingers down the page, I set free a thick clump of dust without realising. “Ah-!” I gasp, pulling my fingers back and shaking them frantically to get rid of that disgusting mess. “Gross… When was the last time someone came in here and cleaned up?” A grimace pulls at my face at the thought of just how dirty the rest of this place may very well be.

“Oh, fuck- Shit-!”

“Huh-?!” A loud thud causes me to jump out of my skin. Just as my nerves had started to settle, that ridiculously over-the-top, dramatic, _loud ass_ shouting nearly sends me into an early grave. I spin around on my heels immediately, on full alert at the presence of someone else. That red light from the book stretches out far enough for me to be able to see a dark figure sprawled out pathetically on the floor just as I had been at first. For some unclear reason, fear washes over me, at the idea that it could be some ethereal being coming to punish me for daring to enter this sacred place…

“Kaito-san? I knew it, I knew you were up to no good…!”

Or, of course, it’s just Gakupo Kamui. Wait…

“Kamui? Gakupo _fucking_ Kamui? Again!?” Being foolish enough to raise my voice despite knowing it could get me into trouble, my first instinct is to scream his name in utter disbelief and burning rage.

“Y-You sly bastard,” he stutters, struggling to pick himself up from the floor.

“Don’t act like you didn’t already know I was in here…!” Clenching my fists by my side, I take a couple of steps forward, just about ready to go over and give him a boot to the stomach for good measure while he’s down. Resisting that urge for now, I go ahead and confront him verbally instead. “Real good, ten out of ten acting. You can get up now. And let me out of here while you’re at it. Your prank fucking sucks.”

“Wh-? The hell you on about now?” He chokes out in confusion, losing that cool composure he had every other time I crossed paths with him. He eventually picks himself up, wobbling a little on the spot and clutching lightly at his chest. “I _just_ got here myself, you idiot. Prank…? How old do you think I am? How incredibly insulting!”

Steam rises from the top of my head. Reaching boiling point. “Grrrr...” My knuckles are whitening again, aren’t they? “I’ve had _enough_ of you, you stupid fucking-!”

“Yeah? Don’t even get me started on how I feel about _you,_ asshole!” Gakupo swiftly interrupts me, cutting my insults short, and his own anger erupts just like a volcano, spilling out his own toxic inner thoughts. “I’m in _your_ school when I don’t want to be, I follow you over to this library because of how ridiculously suspicious you looked, hoping to catch you once and for all as the cheater you are, and then I fall into this _stupid_ trap of yours-!”

My eyes widen as he completely loses it at me. But that’s not the most surprising part. He’s pinning the blame on me all over again, which riles me up further. He steps closer and closer to me as he rants. “Trap? What do you mean, you fell into this _trap?_ Did you hit your head so hard that you forgot all about the fact that _you_ set this bullshit up for me to fall into? Swinging bookshelf, ha ha, so incredibly hilarious!” A strained laugh seeps out through gritted teeth as I glare at him. “Okay, you’ve had your fun, you overgrown child, now quit playing innocent and let me out of here.”

Gakupo seems to have fallen silent, and when I think I’ve finally won and he’s about to give up… “Wh-What the hell is that-?!” His voice comes out as a frightened whimper for a change, dramatically pointing over at something behind me.

“Yeah, nice try,” I scoff, rolling my eyes. There’s no way he missed the bright red, blinding light when he supposedly fell into here. Folding my arms over my chest, I slowly turn back on my heels to show that it’s _just_ a light. “It’s the bright red light you set up. Great joke, you totally got me, so fu-… Oh.”

All I can come out with is a quiet mutter near the end of that. Sure, a book is floating right in front of my eyes right now, no big deal, right…? Honestly, I feel like I’ve witnessed crazier things before this. Or maybe I’m just growing numb to all the bullshit. Apathy is my go-to response.

“Oh? Is that all you have to say for yourself? Fucking ‘oh’?” Gakupo sounds as though he’s about to faint.

I think the reason I’m so apathetic about this whole thing is because I know it’s just a lame prank, and frankly, it’s being dragged out way too long. “You really need to work on your acting if you want me to be all freaked out,” I tut. So he put a book on a string. So what?

“I’m not kidding around any more. Besides, what’s up with you putting the blame onto me straight away? This is your school, isn’t it? How the fuck would I even know about this… uh… god damn it, what even is this place?”

A cold shudder tickles at my spine. He’s… He’s being deadly serious right now… No, he has to be acting still. Lowering my arms to my sides, I hesitantly tilt my head up to stare deadpan at the supposed floating book. “I… I, uh...” My knees are shaking. Of all the things I expected to uncover, this isn’t one of them.

Gakupo’s footsteps tap softly behind me, coming closer until he stops a short distance next to me. “Look. If I’m not playing a prank on you, and you’re really not sure what this place is, then...” He speaks quietly, deciding to go ahead and state the obvious. “Something strange is happening here.”

I can’t even come back with a witty remark. I desperately want to, but the atmosphere is a lot more different than when it was just me alone in this place. “That book wasn’t floating when I first fell in here,” I mutter, pulling my eyes off it and instead glancing over at the purple-haired male, looking to him for guidance. Something I thought I’d never do. “Well, I hate to admit it, but you’re the smarter one of us, so…”

Rather than smirking proudly like I expect, he lets out a dry laugh and rubs at the back of his neck. “I’m really not as great as you seem to think...” His eyes catch mine for a split second, and the faintly glowing light makes it easy for me to see a sort of bashful glint reflecting in there. He breaks eye contact almost straight away, pausing for a moment. “But it’s obvious that whatever this is, it… waited for the both of us to be here.”

I raise a brow, wondering just how much truth there is to that. After all, this is the same jerk who keeps joking about ‘soulmate’ crap during talent trials. But right now, it’s like he’s being oddly sincere… And I feel like I can trust what he’s telling me, away from the judgemental stares of his friends… And that barrier between us is shattered. No stress, no pressure, no competitive aspects… Nothing. “Maybe,” I mutter, sort of in agreement. I’m on the fence right now, though. “Let’s just figure it out together, alright?”

I can’t believe I’m working _with_ Gakupo Kamui for once, rather than fighting against him. Together, we have to uncover the secrets of this hidden library, otherwise we may be stuck here for a long time if we just sit here arguing.

…


	11. Chapter Ten - Secret of the Gems: Trick or Truth

“So, we seem to be quite literally stuck in here...” A heavy sigh comes from Gakupo.

Can’t be blamed for making an attempt at escaping before actually solving the problem, right? We’ve been pushing with all our might at the bookshelf that knocked us on our asses, but it still isn’t budging.

“Yep. And here I thought I’d seen it all already,” I laugh lightly, though a hint of bitterness remains. The most logical thing to do would be approaching that suspicious floating book, but then again, it could still be a cruel trap set up by some other Mahogany or Oak Valley student.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He raises a brow at me, pacing slowly over to the pedestal.

“Hold up, don’t go touching that...” I ignore his question, pacing after him instead. His naivety is kind of surprising, but also kind of irritating. Just as he’s about to run his fingertips over the damn thing, I slap his hand away.

“Ow-!” His face twists into a grimace, recoiling and stroking at the back of his hand. “What else am I supposed to do? This book could tell us how to get out.”

I pinch at the bridge of my nose with my finger and thumb, resisting the urge to groan. “Why did I _ever_ think we’d be able to work together?” I thought he may have been smarter than me, or at the very least, better at solving problems and able figure out the secrets of this mysterious book. It’s kind of a given for me to be at a loss here, but this guy is on a whole other level of incompetence.

“You need to think this through. Really use that brain of yours,” Gakupo says, resting a hand on his hip. “That’s if you even have one...”

“Oi, I heard that!” I huff. Dude thinks he can get away with mumbling things under his breath without me hearing. No chance. That remark of his makes me wonder if this is one big prank or not after all. “You’re just fucking with me, aren’t you? I actually thought this was legit, too. Wow. You Mahogany Creek kids are good at acting, I’ll give you that. Those girls are in on this with you, I just know it.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, I’m not acting!” He lets out a tut, turning his back to me. Although a moment later, he glances over his shoulder at me, expression dropping to one of confusion. “Wait, what girls?”

“Y’know, those ones with the matching necklaces. Your year group’s second team,” I answer. “That’s what I meant when I said, ‘I thought I’d seen it all already’. Their strange necklaces sure were enough to creep me out, but this apparent hidden library takes the cake...”

Gakupo simply narrows his eyes at me as I go on. “Is that why you were yelling at them earlier…?” he bluntly asks. Wait, did he just admit he’s been following me around?

“Wh-?” I choke on my words, unable to get anything out. There are far too many responses circling round in my mind to that absurd revelation he made. “You’re seriously obsessed with me. Why have you been stalking me?”

“Obsessed?” he repeats, and even though I expect him to snap back at me, he lets out a cool, composed laugh. “I was simply trying to catch you in the act of cheating. Sneaking around school when everyone else is supposed to be in their designated classrooms for the Talent Trials is pretty suspicious, in case you weren’t aware.”

Oh, the irony is astounding. “I’d hardly call it sneaking around,” I scoff. “And for your information, I was trying to catch _your_ buddies and expose their cheating. In case _you_ weren’t aware, there’s some sort of cheating going on in these events… Ya know, the ones where your group stole our ideas?”

“For the last time, we haven’t stolen anything,” he speaks through gritted teeth, as though he’s on the verge of losing his patience. “You know what? You were right. There’s no possible way we can work together.” With a huff, he plops himself down onto the floor and crosses his legs, back leaning against the pedestal.

Narrowing my eyes at him rather sharply, I demand to know what he’s doing. “What are you-…? Hey, we can’t just sit around here…! I hate working with you just as much as you hate working with me, but there’s no way I’m giving in so easily.”

“Yeah, so how about you try moving that bookshelf again?” comes his rhetorical snort, as he folds his arms over his chest. “Clearly we’re the victims of a prank here. I’m going to wait until they get bored and let us out.”

Well, I have no idea how to do this alone, so perhaps I have to play along just a little longer with this purple-headed demon. Taking a few light steps forward, I set myself down a small distance away from him against the pedestal. Pulling my knees to my chest, I run a hand through my hair with a sigh. “Fine. You wanna be stubborn and sit around like an idiot? That’s great. But don’t start complaining when you realise this is a dumb idea. We’ll stay here all fuckin’ night if that’s what you want so badly.”

So much for making an attempt to work together. It’s impossible. Some people believe in the idea of soulmates – that when you’re born into this world, the red string of fate ties you to someone else, no matter where that person may be. Everybody knows the concept of soulmates. Destined to be together, to fall in love and live happily ever after. Yeah, well this Gakupo and I are the opposite of that. Some sadistic being put this bastard on this earth and tied me to him with a yellow-green string, to signify that we have been destined to cross paths all along and fall into a harsh rivalry. I wouldn’t be falling for that nonsense if the universe didn’t constantly put us together in these awful situations.

And so, we sit in silence. There’s a faint humming resonating from the supposed ‘floating’ book, and that soon becomes deafening the longer I stay here. It’s slowly becoming more and more irritating; I’m about to get up, until Gakupo finally says something, which stops me short of jumping up.

“Why is it we can’t get along, anyway…?” At first, it sounds more like he’s thinking out loud, rather than asking me directly. In fact, it’s an odd question to take in, so I’m not really sure how to respond for a few moments. He lets out a heavy sigh, turning his head to stare off at the bookshelves and avoiding eye contact. His tone is strangely sincere, and I’m left wondering whether this is genuine or yet another prank.

Being cautious and slightly defensive in my answer, I speak. “Because you’ve made no efforts at all to be nice to me and my friends. We’ve done everything we can to try, but you continue to bully us and invade our personal space as if you’ve been here longer than us.” My tone remains calm, as I find it useless to raise my voice at this point. That doesn’t mean I still don’t have irritation burning away inside me.

“Don’t act like you haven’t been hostile towards us as well,” he tuts. “I figured you Oak Valley kids despised us, so why should I have made any efforts if you didn’t?”

I take in a deep breath to keep calm. Has he already forgotten our first ‘meeting’ in the dorms? “I didn’t mean to crash into you with a pile of books. Yeah, I get it wasn’t the best greeting of all, but you could’ve at least helped me pick them up and not be a huge dick about it,” I respond, that all too familiar bitterness seeping through my voice as I recall the harsh way he had snapped at me.

“Ugh…! You see what I mean?” Gakupo lets out a groan, appearing to be visibly fed up. He pulls his eyes from the far end of the room and locks eyes with me.

That simple, yet serious stare causes me to freeze on the spot. My eyes widen a little bit. Right now, he’s staring into my soul, and trying to figure out what makes me tick… Yet at the same time, I’m doing the exact same to him. Those blue eyes reflect a mix of confusing, unknown emotions… And without fully realising, my heart begins to pound in my chest.

“We can’t have a normal conversation without breaking out into an argument. Why do you hate me so much?”

The accusation that spills from those words catches me off guard, and I snap back to reality in an instant. I was just staring into his eyes again, wasn’t I…? I barely heard anything he said, except for that question of why I don’t like him. What is going on with me? This is about the… third time…? I’ve lost count of how many times I turn into a wide-eyed mess whenever our eyes connect.

“I… I don’t hate you,” I manage to mutter out, breaking eye contact and gazing down to the floor like the coward I am instead. In fact, I don’t hate him at all. There’s a slight burning in the pit of my stomach, and a strange warmth spread across my cheeks, but it’s not the same feeling as anger.

“Then what is it? You just like to pick on people for the fun of it? Steal their ideas to get a rise out of them?” He challenges me, urging me to explain further. Slowly backing me into a wall… Not physically, of course, because I can easily stand up and tell him to drop it, but I’m unable to do so.

He must be displeased with my silence, because a moment later, I see him extend his arm out toward me, and I’m forced to make eye contact with him once again as he tilts my head up with a finger and thumb, grabbing at my chin. That only causes the blush on my cheeks to grow darker.

“No more running away or avoiding it. I want an answer now, Kaito-san.”

For some reason, the way he hisses my name causes a shudder to run down my spine. I’m sure his intention is far from seductive and teasing, but that whisper is so low that it’s hard to think otherwise… And my eyes subtly trail along those lips of his, which are now so close to me that they’re slightly more visible despite the darkness that surrounds us. Wait, am I seriously thinking that sort of crap…?! I immediately rip my eyes from his lips, although I still can’t bring myself to push him away.

Gakupo glares right into my eyes again, determined to understand what’s on my mind. Even I’m not sure of all that any more. “So?” There’s that hint of impatience in his voice.

“It’s not that I hate you, I’m just… fed up of all the tension between us. N-Not _us,_ but my school and your school,” I trip over my words, realising the implications of my first attempt at that explanation. “You all act like you’re soooo better than us, and then you wonder why we don’t put up with it?” I huff lightly, not exactly wanting to go at him from a confrontational angle, though I can’t help but being petty.

“Like I said, we’re not the ones who wanted your hostility. There was no reason for us to bother being nice if you’re going to be rude.” Rolling his eyes, Gakupo lowers his grip from my chin and runs a hand through his fringe, fluffing some of it to the side.

Wait, so… I’ve been hostile to him because he’s been hostile to me. Yet from his perspective, he’s been hostile to me because I’ve been hostile to him. As that realisation starts to sink in, I can feel the urge to laugh bubble up within me. This would be the worst time to burst out laughing, not to mention it’d be incredibly rude right in his face. “Pff… Hahaha…!” All within a couple of moments, that laughter spills out as genuinely and softly as can be.

His eyebrows furrow at my strange reaction, and it’s clear from that one expression alone he thinks I’m either stupid or I’ve lost my mind. “H-Huh…?”

Pressing the back of my palm to my mouth, I continue to snicker for about another moment before stifling it. “I’m sorry, I just… you don’t see the delicious irony to all this, do you?” Letting a heavy sigh pass my lips, I lean back against the pedestal, taking a short time to rest my head and relax.

“Forgive me for being unable to see the ‘humour’ in all of this,” he grunts. With a sort of snort, I briefly explain to him the revelation I came to, and once he gets it, a smirk pulls at his features. “Ahah… I guess that is kind of funny, actually. So, we’ve had this preconceived notion of rivalry since the beginning, all for nothing. I mean, I’ve heard things about this school and the students here for quite a few years, so I kind of expected the hostility upfront and decided to… put up some sort of defensive barrier, I suppose?”

“Hmm,” I thoughtfully hum, rubbing at the back of my neck. First of all, it’s kind of weird that he talks like a living textbook even when not around his fancy friends, but that’s beside the point. Second of all, this is all so weird. “So, back at your school are you just some normal nice guy or what?”

“Well, I… wouldn’t exactly say ‘normal’ or even ‘nice’,” Gakupo admits, averting his eyes for a moment. “It’s been pretty much drilled into my head from a young age that the most important thing is to work hard, never trust even your closest friends, and succeed at _everything_ you do.”

So, it’s exactly like Ms. Yuzuki’s outlandish expectations. Can’t say I’m surprised. “I assume that’s what made it so easy for you to just… be mean?”

He gives a shrug of his shoulders. “It’s complicated to think about now. Seeing that you and your friends here weren’t exactly the nicest only played into the lies Ms. Yuzuki told us about you, which… Yeah, pretty much, just made it easier for me to be mean. I had this vague hope of making friends with somebody from your teams, but since there was no chance of that happening, I could switch into competitive mode without any regrets.”

I’m only left with more questions than answers, but that’s alright. It’s not like we can get out of this hellish library any time soon. My mind jumps to his other friends. “What about uhh… those twins? They seem nice enough, but, well...”

“You’ve noticed that, too?” Gakupo’s response isn’t one I anticipated. “Gumi-chan and I aren’t particularly close to them at school, they just sort of latched onto the two of us before this event. Don’t get me wrong, they’re nice enough, but ever since Gumi-chan became closer to Rin-san, she’s… changed.”

A scoff pushes its way up from my throat. “I’m not surprised at all. Neru-chan has been the exact same way. I know you think it’s funny to make jokes about ‘lover boy’ and ‘trouble in paradise’, but Neru-chan has been one of my best friends for a long time. She meets some guy from another school, apparently falls in love, and now she hates us.”

“Honestly, even I’m not sure why I’ve been making those immature jokes. They’re not usually my style,” he shyly admits. I squint my eyes at him, taking a moment to truly scan that appearance of his. I could very well be falling into another trap here, but… This feels real. “And it’s not like I even have any solid proof that Rin-san and Len-san are doing some sort of scheming. I’m not even trying to imply that. Well, not really… But it’s the same with Gumi-chan. We’re really close, friends since childhood. But when I messed up at that event against you, she was so cold and so unlike her usual self.”

All this speculating is starting to make my head hurt. Apparently there’s a brand new ‘mystery’ with the blonde-haired twins, or maybe it’s something we’re making up amidst this petty rivalry. As if those dumb necklaces aren’t enough already. “Yeah, whatever is going on, it’s messing up my friendships,” I sigh softly.

“Hah… Tell me about it,” Gakupo casually agrees. This is absurd, but okay. “I was actually considering finally asking Gumi-chan to be my girlfriend, but… Ever since the Talent Trials, it’s like she’s a completely different person… I guess I don’t really know everything about her like I once thought.”

A strange pang of what I can only assume to be jealousy strikes at my heart. It’s not that my mind is screaming I’m jealous, but it’s some sort of unknown hurt sensation as he mentions his feelings for someone else. But why is that all I can care about in this moment, with so much more happening?

Just as I open my mouth to answer, I’m cut off by the rather abrupt sound of a thump from directly behind. “Oh-!” Blinking rapidly, I then realise it’s now pitch black in the room once more. Shifting up onto my knees with Gakupo, I turn around and set eyes upon the once floating book now resting shut on the pedestal.

“That scared the hell out of me,” the purple-haired male mutters, in a childish, whimpering tone. He props his fingertips up onto the pedestal and barely peeks his head over to take a look at it.

I, on the other hand, prop myself up higher so that I can actually see the book. It’s closed now unlike before, and that light is completely gone. “You think the one behind this got sick of their prank after all?” I suggest. I don’t see why else the book would flop back down.

“Mmh...” Gakupo simply groans in response, in a tone that suggests he has absolutely no idea, but doesn’t like the direction this is going. Neither do I, honestly.

It’s kind of comedic how we’re both essentially poking our heads up to get a look at the pedestal. I’d say we’re both reluctant and a bit of concern lingers within us, but I take the initiative and flip the book open. “Ah… See? Nothing strange here at all.” I breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that no more weird lights come out of nowhere.

But of course, I speak too soon.

About a split second after that stupid sentence passes my lips, there’s a _flick_ that comes from somewhere close to us. Then another, closer… And by the third _flick_ , a dull light follows and makes itself visible along the pedestal. I’m not sure how I missed the outline of those lights on there in the first place, but… They move up, each turning on with that same soft _flick_ noise, until it highlights the pages of the book itself, making it the only thing in this whole room we can see.

“Nothing strange here, huh?” Gakupo side-eyes the hell out of me for that comment of mine, and I can’t see myself living that one down any time soon.

Pulling myself up from my knees, I stretch my legs out and decide I want to get a better look at this book. The male beside me reluctantly follows my movements, folding his arms over his chest and glancing around in a sort of paranoid, unsure manner. I don’t even know why I’m the one taking charge here when I’m always so indecisive with other things, but… That feeling of being drawn to it is once again taking over. Like before, I run my fingers down the page, greeted by that familiar thick layer of dust. It’s open to the first page of the book. Taking in a deep breath, I blow at the page, hoping to clear some of that dust.

“Pff-! H-Hey-!” Gakupo rather uncharacteristically yells out in protest, throwing his arms up to shield his face, but still ends up spluttering dramatically and such.

Sure, the dust is gross and there’s a _lot_ of it, but it’s not exactly enough to send me into a fit of wheezing. Is he really that much of a drama queen? This is interesting to say the least. Narrowing my eyes to make out what’s exactly on the page, I’m left at a loss for words. “This is… uh… this is all a bunch of nonsense.”

“Yes, it’s quite absurd, isn’t it?” Gakupo agrees with me, yet isn’t looking at the pages as I speak.

Grunting quietly to myself at his ignorance and scaredy-cat behaviour, I speak more directly. “No, it’s literally a bunch of nonsense.”

“I know, I already agreed to-...” Midway through answering, he turns his head to peer down at the page, and once he sets eyes on it, he simply falls silent, as though no words will do justice to how he feels about this utter bullshit we’re witnessing.

“It’s some sort of… I don’t know...” I can’t understand a single bit of it. It hasn’t been written in English. It’s not even some sort of ‘language’ as far as I’m aware; it’s more like small graphics all strung together like a picture code. But it can’t be counted as a picture code either, right? Because there are larger illustrations printed delicately onto the corners of the first two pages. Is printed even the right term for this? It’s as though someone scribbled this onto the paper themselves, which certainly says a lot about its age.

“And you’re absolutely sure you’ve never seen this room before?” Gakupo questions me once more, perhaps to test the authenticity of the whole thing. Can’t say I blame him, but I think it’s best that we start to trust each other at this stage.

I give a single nod. “It’s safe to say this is definitely not a prank anymore.”

“Hello? Is this working?”

With a blink, I look around in confusion. “Uhm,” I mutter under my breath, not sure if I really just heard what I think I heard. Some sort of muffled voice sounds out from somewhere – like they’re far away. On the other side of the bookshelves, maybe. But it’s not exactly the ‘typical’ kind of muffled sound… “Did you hear that?”

Gakupo balls his fists up and clutches at his chest, a look of terror crossing his features. “What? Hear what? Don’t try to mess with me, or I swear to-”

“Hellooo? C’mon, I know you can hear me…!”

“Wah!” Gakupo gasps, jumping back a good couple of steps away from the pedestal.

“Stop being a big baby,” I scold him. I’m scared too, but that doesn’t mean he has to be a total wimp about it. That muffled voice is no longer muffled like it had been before. At first, it had sounded like some interference on a phone or something. But now, it’s clearer and evidently a lot closer to us than I first figured. So that rules out someone outside messing with us.

“Wh-Who is it?” Gakupo reluctantly steps forward again, regaining his composure. Gotta be a big tough man and whatnot, right?

“Oh, thank the stars, it’s working…!” Listening as carefully as I can, I realise it’s a woman’s voice. Strong, confident, mature… Yet rather panicked.

“W-Wait...” I peek down at the book. “Are you… umm… inside the book…?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gakupo scowls, although he’s obviously just trying to deny the whole thing in favour of being oblivious and not on the verge of pissing his pants.

“Why yes, I am. You always were a smart one, Kaito.” A playful snicker comes from… well, not her lips I suppose, but from the book. Ignoring the whole weirdness and technicalities of that, the way she laughs and teases me comes across as though she’s known me for a long time. Some sort of old friend. I’m not even going to ask how she knows my name, but rather, what the hell is going on.

“Hey, I’m smart, too...” Pouting, the purple-headed male seeks attention from this woman-book-thing.

“Oh my god, are you _actually_ jealous of the way a talking book addresses me?” I glare at him, unable to believe how his dumb mind prioritises shit like this.

“Ahaha~!” A hearty chuckle comes from inside the book, which cuts us off mid-argument. “You’re more of a scared little baby than you are smart. But that’s alright. You’ll see there’s no need to be scared of me once I explain things.”

“What’s even going on right now…?” I mutter in disbelief. Am I going crazy from all the pressure and stress? Shaking my head a couple of times to pull myself together, I take in a light breath and approach this as best I can. Even if this is some sort of weird dream or sanity break, I might as well go with the flow, huh? “Okay, okay. So, who are you? And where are you?”

“Ooh, starting off with the good questions, are we?” She snickers, before continuing. “See, I don’t think I can really answer that without giving too much away. Everything will be revealed soon, but I contacted you to tell you there’s something bad going down, something that I can’t deal with alone.”

Gakupo glances over at me, and I catch his eye. He’s just as confused as I am. “I don’t get it,” he huffs, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Why me? Sure, I understand you’d want Kaito-san to deal with whatever this is, but… I don’t even attend this school. Maybe you’re getting me confused with his best friend Dell-san.”

That’s a good possibility that I haven’t thought of yet. He’s right, this doesn’t make much sense. “Yeah, Gakupo and I, uh… don’t exactly get along. We’re not friends and we’re not even sure if we want to be right now.” I don’t mean to speak so bluntly – I offer him an apologetic shrug.

“That’s okay. I contacted you while knowing you’d only be at this stage,” the woman says, probably with a hint of a smile if only we could see her right now. Still, what ‘at this stage’ implies is unknown. “I’m not mistaken at all, trust me. Now, do we have any other questions?”

Letting a small huff out, I pause for a moment to really think. This woman knows us, but we don’t know her. I feel like I should trust her… But is it too soon to let my guard down? “Okay, sure. What’s this bad situation of yours? Why do you need us to get involved?”

“Well, you see… I really don’t want to worry you two, and I really wish you had more time to find these things out on your own, but…” Her voice trails off for a moment. There’s a hint of hesitation in there.

“Just tell us. We’ll figure out some way to help you,” I urge her on, before glancing at Gakupo. “Right?”

He narrows his eyes as a response, mirroring the same sort of hesitation that the woman has in her voice. “Maybe? I don’t know about this,” he hisses in a quiet, strained tone.

“Okay,” she sighs, after a rather long pause. “Our world is in danger. I thought I could handle this on my own. In fact, I _did_ handle it on my own, for a short time… But things are getting worse. I don’t know how much more I can disclose, but we can’t waste any more time. We have to act. Now…!”

As she announces all of this, my eyes grow progressively wider in an almost comical mix of shock and confusion. My jaw is close to dropping open by the time she takes a break, and even though she expects some sort of answer, I can’t find any words.

“Wh-Wha-? Are you serious, lady…?! What kind of sick joke is this?” Gakupo is the first to choke out a response, and it perfectly echoes my own thoughts. Although it comes out as a sort of wheeze, I can hear the irritation he’s holding back.

“It’s not a joke!” The woman snaps back defensively at Gakupo, but it’s quickly followed by a soft gasp and an apology. “I’m… I’m sorry, Gakupo. But I’m taking a huge risk just by reaching out to the two of you like this. If… If _they_ were to find out...” A quiet whimper comes from the book, the fear she feels becoming more and more evident.

The purple-haired male in question averts his eyes, a stern, serious expression crossing his face. It’s hard to tell exactly how he feels at this moment. It’s sort of clear that he’s not sure how to deal with this, though. And I can’t say I blame him, because I’m not sure what to do either.

Deciding to take a gentle approach, I ask again what exactly she means. “When you say our world is in danger, _how_ exactly is it in danger? The more we know, the easier it is for us to try and help.”

“I can’t believe this,” Gakupo mutters. When I flick my glance over to him, I see that he’s now standing with his back facing me, arms folded impatiently over his chest.

“It’s a long story,” she finally answers, with a heavy sigh. “I’m going to tell you what you need to know the most in order to effectively deal with this.” A light red glow begins to form around the edges of the book.

“Whoa...” I watch intently with widened eyes as the book slowly lifts itself up into the air above the pedestal. It’s one thing to set sight upon a floating book when your back is turned, but it’s a whole other kind of weird experience to watch it actually lift up right in front of you.

With the way the red light comes out of nowhere, Gakupo swiftly turns back around to face the pedestal, greeted by the sight of that same red light now surrounding the entire book and securing its position up there. Wordlessly, his arms drop to his side from his chest.

The softly glowing light moves its way over to one of the pages, wrapping itself around as carefully as can be, and with a light _flick_ , it shuffles through the book until it lands on one specific page. It’s a bit hard to tell exactly what’s on there since it’s quite high up, but I’m able to see some sketches – four familiar shapes etched into each corner of the two open pages. The instant I set eyes upon them, my mind flashes back to the ruby gems that hang from the necklaces of those Mahogany Creek girls.

“H-Hey, wait a minute...” Gakupo must realise, too. After all, he must have seen their matching necklaces at some point during the Talent Trials, or even back at their school.

“The text on these pages is mostly irrelevant, but the gems themselves are important,” the woman speaks up, her voice now echoing through the room. Given the maturity and serious, booming nature in her tone, it’s easy for me to picture this woman as some sort of leader. That friendliness and playful banter she had with us earlier seems like it had come from someone else altogether, which only makes her case more believable than before. “I’m sure you’ve seen them already. That’s why you came snooping here in the first place, is that correct? I am truly grateful for your nosey attitude, Kaito. I never would have found the right time to contact you otherwise.”

Rubbing at the back of my neck with a nervous, sticky palm, I let out a feeble laugh. “Well, what can I say...” I hope she’s not about to say that me snooping around is the cause of this disaster.

“Yes, we’ve seen them,” Gakupo answers in my place, gaining a bit of confidence. “A group of girls from my school wear matching necklaces, and the gems are just like the sketches here.”

“Hold on...” Something hits me, and for a moment, I truly believe I’ve had a strike of mass intellect. “I think I understand. Those girls are the cause of this disaster, aren’t they? I knew it! They’ve been acting suspicious all this time. Well, don’t you worry, because we’ll definitely-”

“How dare you!” the woman gasps in horror, apparently extremely offended by my words. She immediately stops me before I can continue, and I’m left surprised. “Those girls are most certainly not suspicious, and for your information, they’re part of the solution.”

“Huh…?” I mumble, caught off guard by her overly-defensive response. Not only that, but I really thought I was onto something there for once…

“Tch, how rude of you to jump to conclusions.” Now that I’m the one being scolded by the woman, Gakupo takes the opportunity to mock me with his usual irritating manner of speaking. That stupid punchable smirk pulling at his lips.

“Grrr…!” I puff my cheeks out, resisting the urge to yell back at him.

“Calm down, you two!” The woman cuts our argument short. “Gakupo, please don’t start acting like you’re better than him. And Kaito, I hope you’ve learned your lesson. Making baseless accusations doesn’t help anybody. Now, if you two children are finished bickering, can we please move onto the facts?”

Sinking down, I exchange glances with Gakupo with a hint of fire in my eyes, silently vowing that this isn’t over yet. He simply sticks his chin out, huffing before looking back at the book above us. She really knows how to effortlessly shut down pointless fighting, huh? I feel incredibly small after those remarks of hers, and I bet Gakupo does, as well. “Y-Yeah, go on...”

She lightly coughs, before beginning to explain. “I understand these girls may have been ‘acting suspicious’ as you put it, but I can assure you that they’re not doing anything that contributes to putting our world in danger. These gems have been around for… Hmm, a few hundred years, I’d say. They’ve been used for nothing but good since the time they were crafted. That being said, I’m not entirely sure how these girls found them… But at the very least, they’re harmless. They most likely don’t know anything about the power these gems hold, which is a good start, but also kind of bad.”

“Um...” I blink a few times, at a loss for words. There’s a lot of information to take in from just that, and I’m sure this is only the beginning. But she does mention ‘power’. Glancing down to my palm, I start to understand. Or at least, I’m able to slowly piece it together. “Are you sure they’re not aware of how important these gems are? I barely even touched one of those gems earlier, and I was left with a super sore hand.”

“Wait, really?” Gakupo tilts his head to the side slightly as he asks that. Oh, right. He doesn’t know that little detail. I give a nod, and his face twists into a thoughtful expression. I’ve probably just added multiple layers of confusion to this already messy situation.

“I’m not entirely sure about that, actually,” she shyly admits. A light hum comes from the book, as if she’s contemplating what to say next. “Well… I think in that case, it’s a good idea that you two try to get those gems away from the girls. They’re better off in our possession rather than theirs. They have no idea what’s going on, and it’s best that it stays that way.”

Hold up. Is this ancient book casually suggesting we steal potentially precious jewellery from four teenage girls? I’m not too sure I like the mixed morals of this woman.

It’s not like I get a chance to even ask about that, because she continues without waiting for a hint of a reaction from either of us.

“These gems will be able to seek out possible power sources dotted around your school,” she says. Huh? Around _my_ school? Is she saying that the evil beings or whatever are lurking around campus somewhere?! “They’ll glow a light red if there are traces or remains of power near a certain spot. That would mean some sort of power was used maybe a few hours back, or even a day or so. If it glows stronger than that, it means some sort of power was used very recently, so I’d advise you to be careful if there are any strong spots. You’ll know how recent it is by how hard the gems vibrate.”

“Time out, time out…!” Gakupo suddenly blurts out, holding his hands up. He’s visibly flustered. “Let me get this straight. You’re telling us these girls are unknowingly wearing magical gems that can seek out when other magic has been used? And there are different indicators of how much magic has been used, depending on how much it glows and shakes?”

Honestly, I understand that frustration. It’s absurd to hear, and maybe I still haven’t fully taken in just how serious all of this is, but… I kind of believe everything she’s saying so far. But that’s only because I’ve witnessed it myself when I went to grab at one of those gems.

“Pretty much, yes.” She answers in such a nonchalant, calm voice, and that seems to send the poor purple-haired male over the edge.

“Bu...but… That… that’s ridiculous!!” He trips over his words, unable to get them out properly at first, before finally shouting in the quite possibly the most melodramatic tone I’ve heard in a while. Then out comes the rant. “Kaito-san, you can’t tell me you’re really buying this utter nonsense? I’ve been staying quiet the entire time because I thought maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t turn out to be as crazy as this, but I can’t hold it in any longer…! Now, I don’t know what type of guy you really are, Kaito-san, but surely you’re not as naive as this. Magic? Glowing red gems? This isn’t an anime or some manga book, this is real life! Magic does not exist, rubies cannot ‘detect power spots’ or whatever it is she claims! Please, tell me I’m not the only one in this room with common sense…!”

Half of that comes out in such a rushed, desperate voice that I can’t _really_ register anything he says until he’s breathing heavily and staring at me with eyes that just scream ‘please be on my side’. At this point, I realise I’m stuck with an ultimatum. I either have to believe this so-called ‘magical’ book and in the existence of magic itself, or come back to the side of logic with Gakupo. If I ignore this book, will something bad _really_ happen…? Or is this just some kind of trick like I suspected at the beginning?

“I...” All I can manage is a slight mumble, darting my eyes between that book and the purple-haired male. If I indulge in this strange fantasy of magic existing, I’m sure to ruin any developing friendship I have with Gakupo. This is too much of a huge decision for me to make. This book could be real. Or it could be a joke. The fact that the voice in the book seems to focus so much on the group of girls, it could very well be a trick manufactured by them. My head is spinning. So much has happened the past few days. I can’t choose. No, I _won’t_ choose. I’ve been forced to make all these ridiculous decisions lately, but this one time, I want to take back control. Why would I pick between two Mahogany Creek sides anyway?

“I need to get out of here.” My head is throbbing pretty badly. The hot air is becoming unbearable and suffocating me in here.

“No, wait-!”

The second I step away from the pedestal, the sound of the book crashing to the floor with a heavy thud echoes out from behind me. Despite the voice’s desperation, I shake my head and don’t bother to look back, knowing that this rivalry and these childish pranks will all be over by tonight.

“Oof...” Gakupo mutters, wincing slightly at the harsh thud of the book.

I head towards the bookshelves; more specifically, the ones that locked us in here in the first place. Gritting my teeth together, growing fed up of this nonsense, I push hard at the edges. To my surprise, the bookshelf finally budges from its once stiff, unmoving position. Although it catches me off guard, it’s certainly a relief. And this time, there’s no spinning or falling to the floor.

“Hey, wait up.” Gakupo calls out, still a few paces behind in that stuffy, dark room.

Ignoring him, I push my way through to the main library. The fresh, cool air and blinding lights flood through the gap the second it opens, causing my eyes to squint on impulse. When it hits me, that sharp tension in my head immediately begins to relax, but I know that stress is far from gone. The library is still empty, which is probably a good thing, considering I just waltzed out of a bookshelf.

“I told you to wait up…!” Just as I’m about to get the hell out of this cursed library, a firm grip to my shoulder yanks me back a step or two.

Spinning ‘round in frustration, I stare up at the purple-haired male, glare sharpening as I silently challenge him to _dare to piss me off even further._ “Get your hands off me,” I tut, pulling back and freeing myself from that surprisingly strong grab. “What do you want, Kamui?”

“Huh…?” He stares back at me in disbelief, his voice trailing off. “Why are you mad at me? I thought I actually talked some sense into you back there.”

This guy still acting like we’re best buddies is really starting to irritate me. I should’ve avoided Mahogany Creek students from the beginning. “Look, you can drop the act now. I won’t tell anybody about this dumb prank you and your girlfriends tried to pull, so let’s just move on and forget this ever happened, okay?” I don’t know how I could’ve fallen for this in the first place.

“Prank?” He repeats, half-spluttering. “Sure, maybe those girls tried to trick us, but I wasn’t involved at all…! Oi!”

Shaking my head with a groan, I turn around and begin to walk away while he’s mid-sentence. I need to focus on getting these Talent Trials over and done with. No more time to waste on those Mahogany idiots. Prepping myself the best I can after an undeniably crazy turn of events, I push it all to the back of my mind just as usual, ignoring Gakupo as he calls after me and instead make a quick escape to the hallway.

…


	12. Chapter Eleven - Exposed

I’m in quite a daze for the longest time. Head low, eyes glued to the floor beneath my feet, and with a half absent mind, I wander the empty halls. My mind is naturally elsewhere, with about a thousand different things screaming at me and eating away at me. I’m physically unable to snap myself out of that deep pit of confusion and anger. That is, until before I know it, there are a bunch of students walking around me.

Their chatter is distant… faded… It doesn’t really register for a few moments, but when it finally does, the shock of the jumbled loud noises sucks the air right out of me and catches me off guard. Blinking rapidly, I tear my eyes from the floor and raise my head. When did _this_ many people pour into the halls?

Grumbling, I circle back around from where I started outside the library and head down the stairs. I should really be getting to that art event. I don’t want to be late and let our team down. I decide to make a quick stop at my locker in order to grab a few things, but when I make my way over there, I catch sight of two familiar faces waiting with rather impatient looks plastered across their features.

Approaching with a slight apologetic smile, since I technically left them hanging after music rehearsals, I try to come across as light-hearted after that disaster in the library. Maybe I should tell them what happened, though. One step at a time, I guess. “Hey, Mi-chan. Dell-kun. Really sorry for ditching like that. I lost track of time a bit, but now I’ve cleared my mind and I’m ready to go!” Grinning brightly, I expect an equally enthusiastic response.

However, that’s not what I’m met with at all. Miku’s glance meets mine, and that unexpected piercing, teary-eyed expression cuts deep into my soul. “I… I can’t believe you…!” Even more surprisingly, not only is she just teary-eyed and apparently upset over something, she’s also unleashing a terrible fury onto me. Her tone is weak, but that vague accusation is strong and unwavering.

I must’ve missed the memo. I flick my glance between Miku and Dell, and boy, I sure wish I hadn’t looked at Dell. He looks as though he’s about to rip my head off. “Wh-Whoa, hold on...” I throw my palms up in front of me, unable to stop myself from stammering. My throat is starting to grow dry.

“You better start explaining. And fast,” Dell whispers in a low, almost threatening tone. His eyes are staring into the very core of my being right now.

I take in a shallow, shaky breath. I feel like everyone passing by is staring right at us. No… Right at me. I’m the scumbag here, for some reason. And it’s like everybody already knows why. I’m the only one out of the loop. So, perhaps foolishly… I ask what he means. “What’s going on…? I know I’m a little late for the art event, but I… have a good explanation, believe it or not.” In a feeble attempt to lighten the mood, I give a strained chuckle.

Miku lowers her eyes after I say that, unable to look at me. The deeply pained expression on her face… all the heartache she’s feeling because of me right now, even though I still don’t know why… It must be killing her, with those drops slowly starting to trickle down her cheeks, but it’s killing me just as much.

Dell rubs her shoulder in a reassuring manner, before taking a step forward. He steps uncomfortably close to me, crossing that invisible line into my personal space. While he’s not that much taller than me, that small height difference really makes itself known in that moment, when he glares down at me. “Let’s take a walk outside, Kaito-kun.” Such innocent words come from his mouth… But the manner in which he says them causes a terrible, cold tingle to run down my spine.

As I hesitantly trail my eyes up to try and peer over Dell’s shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of Miku and silently apologise to her, I’m unable to get her attention. However, a few lockers down on the other side of the hall, I briefly notice Rin and Len standing there with Neru. All three of them are staring right over here, probably wondering what all the commotion is about. Neru in particular seems rather curious, but I’m not really able to focus on that slightly suspicious gathering for long.

I’m dragged out of the halls by Dell. Well, of course, not literally… But he makes it clear that my only choice is to follow him outside, otherwise he may just resort to beating my ass in front of all those students.

“I had no idea you could be so fucking stupid.” Once we’re outside and out of sight of everybody else, teachers included, he hurls those words right at me.

Growing tired of all these vague accusations and jabs, I spin on my heels and stop in my tracks while we’re still walking to somewhere more private. “Alright, enough already,” I say, with a bit more frustration than intended. “Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on? If this is because I was late to the art event, then this is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think? Arguing out here like idiots is just going to cause us to be even more late.”

“You’re so- Geez, you’re so dense! The art event ended half an hour ago!” Dell explodes with rage at that moment, as though it’s been bubbling up inside of him, just waiting for me to go ahead and say something dumb. He yells that like it’s an obvious fact, something I should’ve already known, yet I genuinely hadn’t.

And then I realise, yes, I’ve been _incredibly_ dumb. It’s no wonder he’s so pissed off at me… Not to mention my poor girlfriend, who I’ve let down yet again. Releasing a heavy sigh, I avert my glance from him. With tensions already reaching boiling point with all this cheating, and Neru leaving us for those Mahogany Creek twins, I couldn’t have picked a worse time to go wandering off and lose myself in thought. “I’m… I’m sorry, Dell-kun. I’ve been a selfish idiot, haven’t I?” I speak with the deepest sincerity, hoping to appeal to him somehow… Hoping I haven’t totally messed everything up.

“Selfish doesn’t even begin to cut it.” He folds his arms over his chest, that tough shell not even slightly cracking. I expected him to cut me a little slack, but he really isn’t budging. “Thanks to your utter stupidity, our team has been disqualified from the Talent Trials. Congrats, asshole, now we have to rely on Lily and her slaves to pull through for us.”

Again, he speaks as if I already know this fact. But I had no idea whatsoever. I’m completely thrown off by that; my eyes grow wide, and for a moment, I wonder if I’m only imagining this. I’m knocked speechless, not sure how to process this information. He’s telling me it’s all my fault… But how? “H-Hey, I know I was late and messed up, but…” It feels as though my throat is closing up. What else am I supposed to say? Apologise and beg for forgiveness?

“You’re still acting dumb…” Dell trails off, narrowing his eyes at me with a cold, piercing stare, letting a small scoff pass his lips. He’s silently judging me right now, isn’t he? The few moments of silence that hangs between us is unbearable. It feels as though it lasts forever. “Unbelievable. Tch… I’d tell you some more how much of a dickhead you’ve been, but sadly, I’m running out of time. Principal Hiyama wants to see you in his office. And trust me, after the bullshit you’ve already pulled, you do _not_ want to make that man wait.”

“H-Huh…?” More confusion. Blinking rapidly, I’m left to wonder what on earth the principal wants with me. Surely, missing one event isn’t that bad…? Ah geez, but this is Mr. Hiyama I’m talking about here. He’s going to want my head, even more than Dell. But still, in an attempt to wrap my head around all this, I seek answers from who I hope is still my best friend. “I’m not following. I got caught up in some crazy shit before all this. My mind is all over the place right now, so please tell me straight, what have I done that’s so bad?”

Of all the reactions I expect, laughter is not one of them. Not pure-hearted laughter, of course. Mocking. Malicious. Vile. Something I’d expect to hear from… I don’t know, maybe Gakupo. But not someone who I believe is my closest friend. “God, quit playing dumb already. Do you think you can seriously worm your way out of this?” That laughter is abruptly cut short, and before I know it, he’s right in my face once more. Just like earlier in the halls, but this time, there’s even less free space between us.

I can’t help but sharply inhale, a wave of fear running over me as within a split second, he grabs a fistful of my shirt.

“You might have fooled us before, but you can’t get away with it now. Have you always been this much of a scumbag, Kaito? Just waiting for the right moment to strike? Or is it that you’ve grown tired of us, just like that bitch Neru-chan, and you don’t want to live this boring little life with us any longer? You wanted to crush us all along?” He hisses in my face, being sure not to raise his voice, and this time I’m truly left speechless as he comes out with countless horrible, heartless accusations against me. It’s like I don’t even recognise the person standing in front of me. With a low growl, he releases that grip on my shirt, shoving me backward with quite a bit of force as he does so.

Helplessly stumbling back a few steps, I have to stop myself from crashing straight to the ground. I allow all of this to happen, though. It’s all happening so fast, and it really feels like I’m watching all of this from an outsider perspective. “I… I don’t...” Shaking my head frantically, I screw my eyes shut and make an attempt to wrap my head around all of this.

“I’m only going to warn you once. Stay away from Miku-chan. Don’t try to talk to her. Don’t make up some more pathetic lies and excuses, don’t play the innocent card any more. We both know what you’re like now. You can try your shit on me all you want, I don’t fucking care. But if you go anywhere near Miku-chan again…” That’s when Dell issues this shiver-inducing threat. He’s a scary guy on the outside, that’s for sure. He can be overly protective, and he’s one of the best friends a guy could ask for. But I’ve always known that he’s kind-hearted, warm, and caring. This, however… Something isn’t right here. He’s been grumpy when someone’s hurt him before, but I don’t recognise him right now. What could I have possibly done wrong to make him this hostile? It can’t just be because I was late to that last event.

“Well, I’m sure you understand.” With that, he turns his back to me and doesn’t bother giving me a chance to explain myself at all.

“I...” I’m finally able to release a deep breath that I barely even noticed I had been holding in. As he stomps off to go back inside, the tension I felt the entire time slowly begins to fade, yet a trickle of an unexplainable sensation remains long after he’s gone. And for that long period of time… All I can do is aimlessly stare ahead of me to the doors that lead inside. What just happened…? My best friend despises me, seemingly over a simple mistake I made. My girlfriend is upset at me and doesn’t want to see me any more. Am I just supposed to assume that she wants to break up? More importantly, do they seriously expect me to just accept all that? I have to figure out what I’ve done in order to make things right.

Principal Hiyama is sure to let me know _every_ last detail. I’m not looking forward to this.

…

“I was finally beginning to have hope in my students, knowing they’d each try their hardest to make a comeback in this friendly competition. Note that the keyword is ‘friendly’. That means, while there’s an element of fun rivalry, it should be clear that there are no extreme measures taken in order to guarantee victory.” Principal Hiyama paces back and forth behind his desk, clearly shaken by this turn of events, yet remaining as professional as possible. Although, there’s that hint of frustration in his tone as he speaks, and his forehead creases ever so slightly.

All I can do is sit on the other side of that desk in a not-so-comfortable chair, the hard frame prodding into my back, which just forces me to sit upright with a strained but perfect posture. He must be using an incredible amount of willpower just to remain calm. Normally, if Dell or Neru were to be in my position, I’m sure he’d already be screaming at them at this point. But since it’s _me,_ someone who’s not exactly known to be a troublemaker, part of him seems to want to give me the benefit of the doubt.

However, even that’s not the case. The evidence is clearly stacked up against me. This is a serious offence, so the principal must want to take it as such, rather than resorting to traumatising me with his wrath. I let out a heavy, but quiet sigh. The office is small, dimly lit, and becoming more and more suffocating with each second that passes. The blinds probably haven’t been cracked open in years. It’s dark and scary, much like the teacher who occupies this room.

“Well, do you have anything to say? Any explanation, or at least some sort of weak excuse?” Mr. Hiyama finally stops in his tracks, pulling his hands from behind his back and resting his arms at his sides instead. He turns to directly face me, urging me to talk. But really, what am I supposed to say when I’m being accused of cheating in the Talent Trials?

I’m not sure how this possibly could’ve happened. I swear those girls with the weird gem necklaces are behind all this. I’ve been preoccupied for the past hour, after being caught up in their trap. That must’ve given them plenty of time to set me up. They’re real good at manipulating the evidence, I’ll give them that. But, damn it…! Now they’ve ruined everything.

“I must say, I certainly didn’t expect it to turn out this way, Kaito.” Mr. Hiyama speaks in that typical disappointed tone, one used as a guilt tripping tactic. “You’ve always been a decent student. Not the best of grades, rather average overall... but still, quite a promising future ahead of you.”

Geez, thanks for the blow to my grades. Just kick me in the nuts after I’ve already been punched in the gut, why don’tcha. Rubbing at the back of my neck, growing increasingly anxious. Really not sure how I can deal with this. The evidence against me is so strong, there’s no way I can provide evidence of my own that I’ve been framed. I can’t say for certain who’d do this to me, anyway. Sure, it could be those four girls, but…

“Nothing?” Mr. Hiyama sets himself back down in his particularly cushy chair, raising a brow my way. If he expects me to confess, then I’m going to have to disappoint him on that one. “Kaito, this is quite the accusation. If this turns out to be true, there will be devastating consequences. The reputation of Oak Valley High will be at risk. This really is not like you. I have a feeling this act of cheating wasn’t entirely malicious, that you didn’t mean to hurt your friends, but rather make a foolish mistake to get revenge on the other teams. A heat of the moment thing, perhaps? I’m willing to let this one go, but only if you talk to me.”

I suppose it’s nice that he’s making an attempt to appeal to me on a personal level. It’s rather insulting in itself though, to assume I’d stoop that low to begin with, but oh well. I’m still innocent here. Although the evidence is strong, it’s still a bit suspicious to me.

An anonymous person tipped Mr. Hiyama off, claiming that I’ve been harassing Xingchen’s team in order to get their plans from them. Not just that, but this person also claimed to have ‘proof’ that I had stolen Gakupo’s team notes – apparently, while all that shit went down in the library, Ms. Yuzuki barged into my private bedroom and tore it apart, finding those notes and other copies of their plans amongst my belongings, in ‘my’ handwriting. And if that isn’t crazy enough on its own, somehow they also saw me with Gakupo heading into the library, except their version of events is a bit different, in that I started an argument with him and bullied him into telling me important team information… or something like that. That means somebody has been following me.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Hiyama. But I simply can’t admit to something I haven’t done.” I speak up for the first time in a while, being careful on where exactly I answer. I’m on thin ice already, so I need to think of my next move on the spot, without landing myself right into another trap. “I’m not sure where these notes with my handwriting have come from, but I’m going to prove somehow that they’re not mine and I had no idea they even existed.” Also, there’s not a chance in hell that Gakupo keeps any notes at all in that bedroom of ours. I’ve never seen such a thing in the couple of days he’s been here.

Mr. Hiyama lets out a sigh, deep and contemplative, mulling over it for a few moments before deciding to come to a conclusion. “Well, I tried. It seems it just may have been malicious after all. I am truly disappointed to hear that,” he says. Trust me, I feel bad enough for the pain this anonymous person has caused Miku and Dell. But I also feel bad for Mr. Hiyama; all those high hopes he had for me have now been crushed. I can’t imagine the despair a teacher feels when they see a student crash to an all-time low. “As you know, your team is no longer allowed to participate in the Talent Trials. For Ms. Lily’s sake, along with her three friends, we will be keeping the points that your team scored. It’s only fair, as they’ve played by the rules, and shouldn’t have to be punished along with you. You may attend the music show tonight, but please, remain in your dorm for the remainder of the night after dinner.”

Yeah, I don’t see that as a total loss. Uh, well, everything else is, of course. But I’m not exactly excited about the party after the music show to begin with, so… Slight win? Ugh, my morals are so fucked because of all this.

“We will talk again once the Mahogany Creek students return home. That is all, Kaito.” With that, he dismisses me from his office. It didn’t turn out as bad as expected. The only problem now is that I have to deal with my girlfriend breaking up with me, and how could I forget, my best friend wanting to beat the ever-loving shit out of me.

Reluctantly, with a small groan, I pull myself up from that chair, my entire body stiff and aching. Perhaps that’s partly the effects of that chair, and partly because this whole ass day has been exhausting as fuck. And it’s barely even 4pm! There’s still a lot left to do today. So much for ‘fighting back’ and ‘enough is enough’. We were too slow. Now they’ve got us cornered and are about to steal the win back.

“I… I’ll make this right, Mr. Hiyama. I promise.” I take a final glance over my shoulder as I approach the door, offering just a few sincere words to the principal. I want him to have faith in me. I’m sure he knows, deep down, I’m innocent. He just has to. Without looking back, I take a step outside the office and gently shut the door behind me, sealing away the events that went down and letting it become a distant memory quickly before I lose my sanity.

But it’s all too much. There’s only one emotion eating away at me right now. As much as I’ve tried to suppress it all this time. I’ve tried to be rational, I’ve tried to calm myself before it consumes me. Yet now, my girlfriend hates me. My best friend hates me. My other best friend doesn’t want to be involved with me any more. And ironically, with all this rage swirling inside my mind, screaming at me to not just idly sit by and let this happen, the pieces fall into place at last. There’s only one person this could all lead back to. No, not one person… _People._ I’m done being reluctant. I will not be hesitant. I will take this into my own hands and get the damn answers, no matter what this time.

…

It’s not exactly difficult to figure out where these people will be at this point in time. The music event is starting in less than a few hours; anyone who’s taking the Talent Trials seriously will be getting in some last minute practice. And of course, the people I have in mind will definitely be taking this seriously. They wouldn’t have went through this much effort to force a win on their end if they didn’t care.

The halls are mostly empty now. Classes for the younger students have ended, and the older students are expected to be rehearsing. Or if they’re really not interested in trying, they have to steer clear of the campus so that they don’t ‘disturb the peace’ or whatever. If I get caught sneaking through the halls again, I think Principal Hiyama will actually rip my head clean off my shoulders. If I’m super unlucky, it’ll be Principal Yuzuki who catches me.

That’s why I’m sure to be as light-footed as possible while walking toward the main music classroom. Mrs. Prima has trusted students to practice on their own before, so it can’t be any different on such an important day, right…? Maybe this is the dumbest thing I’ve done all week. All month? This is a close tie with Neru’s birthday party… If I fix things on this final day of the Talent Trials, I hope everything goes back to normal, and we can forget all about this mess.

I stop a few paces in front of the door to the music classroom. Reaching a hand out to grip at the handle, I suck in a breath and sort of squint an eye while making an attempt to listen in. It doesn’t sound like it’s too busy in there. Then again, there could be a whole bunch of students crowding inside the studio, waiting for the opportunity to gain access to the best rehearsal room on the entire campus. That’s not an exaggeration either.

Steadying my shaking hand, I mentally prepare myself. If Mrs. Prima is in here, I need to have a damn good excuse as to why I’m showing my face in her sacred classroom when I’ve essentially been grounded like a child. Sure, she has the patience of a saint and is usually calm and friendly while we’re in her presence. But I _know_ she doesn’t take any crap. “Just play it cool… Say you’re here looking for Neru-chan or something,” I mutter. Speaking out loud gives me a chance to gather my thoughts better. That should be a good enough excuse.

Tightening my grip around the handle, I give it a firm push and swing the door open. I’m met with a blast of warm yet suffocating air from inside the room, an almost stunning contrast from the cold halls behind me. As I suspected, the room is empty. Mrs. Prima is nowhere in sight, either. Perhaps she’s making the rounds to the nearby studios, though. I need to play this smart, and I need to remain calm. My mind is still clouded with nothing but anger, yet I know I can’t cause a scene unless I want to be kicked out of school. Releasing a deep sigh, I softly shut the door behind me and head straight for the studio connected to the classroom.

To both my surprise and relief, there isn’t a crowd of kids hanging around the studio awaiting their turn. I guess they aren’t as committed as I thought, which is a good thing. That still doesn’t tell me if the people I’m looking for are in here or not. Pressing my ear up against the door only proves to be half-helpful, as I can definitely hear faint music drifting toward me from inside the studio, but there’s no way of seeing who it is.

“My my, what a pitiful sight.”

“Ah-!” The sudden shrill, mocking voice from behind me almost causes me to jump out of my damn skin. I immediately spin around after gasping kind of dramatically from the shock, and while my heart is pounding in my chest like the big baby I am, I plaster on a nonchalant expression when I set eyes upon the group standing there. I can act tough all I want… Doesn’t change that they heard the pathetic noise I just made.

“Looking for somebody, Shion-san?” That same shrill voice pipes up. Of course… I should’ve recognised it from the start when I still had my back turned.

“Actually, yes. Looks like I’ve found you though, Gumi-san.” I flash a smug little grin as I say that. I’m still recovering from the mild embarrassment of being caught acting like a creep outside the studio, but at least this is the first step in the right direction for me. These four… No, it’s not even four. Neru is standing at one end, uncomfortably close to Len. They’ve managed to rope her into this somehow.

“Aw, so you were looking for us, huh? That’s so cute. We have a fan.” Gumi continues to run her mouth, thinking she can beat me at this game of passive-aggression. The only cute thing about this is how tough she’s acting, like she’s hoping to impress her boyfriend or something. Gag. And right on cue, she nudges the purple-haired male at her side, looking up at him with expectant eyes, urging him to join in.

“Tch,” he simply scoffs. His eyes meet mine for a split second, and it’s hard to tell what emotions are behind that vague glare of his. Regret, maybe? Little late for that, unfortunately.

I take a couple of steps away from the studio, not wanting to disturb their rehearsal. Then again, if these clowns push me any further, I might lose control of the irritation burning inside me. I swallow hard, desperate to keep myself calm.

“We heard what happened with Principal Hiyama...” Rin speaks up in a lighter tone, as if to ease the obvious tension between Gumi and me. A pout pulls at her lips as she says this, and I have no idea if it’s genuine or not. No… I came looking for them to put the blame onto them. It can’t have been just Gakupo, Gumi and those four girls with the weird necklaces. “I’m so sorry that it turned out this way, Kaito-san. I really didn’t expect you of all people to do such a thing.”

There’s something about that incredibly convincing tone that rubs me the wrong way. It’s only natural, right? I can’t be just imagining that subtle, underlying patronising hint in her voice. She’s hoping to get a reaction from me. I lightly shake my head. The more I hear, the more things start to make sense. “Wow. That’s just great. You’re super convincing, you know. Have you considered taking drama classes?”

The blonde-haired girl blinks rapidly in supposed confusion, eyebrows slightly raised. “H-Huh…? I’m… I’m not sure what you…”

“Hey, there’s no need to be rude to us,” Len steps forward, defending his sister. “I don’t know why you bothered to come looking for us, but whatever it is you have to say, it’s best you forget it and leave us alone.”

I can’t believe this. I’ve only got about two words in and they’re already making me out to be the bad guy, demanding I leave. I’m not sure why they’re acting dumb, even after they’ve done their job of getting my team kicked out of the trials. Surely there’s no reason for them to play innocent any more…? Do they really want to come off as oblivious until the very end? It’s hard to come up with a way to approach this if they want to be stern about it. How am I supposed to get answers now? Fuck.

“You heard him,” Neru scowls, after a short silence. Right, I _almost_ forgot she hates my guts, too. I’ve had to deal with the reality of my best friend and girlfriend despising me, so everything else outside of this shit-show hasn’t exactly been priority in my poor, slow mind. “Fuck off and leave us alone.”

The way she spits that out so harshly kind of throws me off. It’s the type of aggression I expect to hear from, I don’t know, maybe Gakupo or Gumi. Not from Neru… It’s like I can’t even recognise her any more.

“I-It’s okay, Neru-chan...” Rin timidly cuts her new ‘best friend’ off, looking up at her with sickening, sparkling puppy-dog eyes. “W-We haven’t even let Kaito-san speak… He might have come to apologise…?”

I can’t help but stare at the lot of them in disgust for a good couple of moments. These people are ridiculous. I can’t figure them out. It’s like they made up this plan to frame me for some unknown reason, but halfway through that plan, they couldn’t decide if they wanted to act nice or be straight up assholes toward me. Seems like they _still_ haven’t figured out how to collectively act. Although… I guess this shows how dumb they really are, and how weak their plan is.

Len narrows his eyes, straightening himself up and staring me down. Oh, I’m so intimidated. “You better make it quick.”

I let out a heavy groan. It’s sort of impulse at this point. “Alright, fine. I came here to get answers, hoping you’d at least have the decency to tell me _why_ you framed me for cheating, but… If you want to act dumb, I suppose I’ll have to come up with some other evidence.” Not sure what that evidence should be, but they don’t have to know that little detail…

“Wait, you’re still trying to pin the blame onto us?” Gakupo speaks up at last, and honestly, I didn’t expect him to go along with this dumb plan after the seemingly genuine talk we had earlier… But it looks like none of that got through to him and he wants to keep following his buddies. And to think, I had been considering making peace with the moron. No way in hell now. His expression just screams offended, as if his poorly-faked, overly-dramatic manner of shouting those words hadn’t been bad enough. “You were busted for stealing our ideas. I’m not sure how that means we’re the guilty ones in your eyes.”

Stay calm, Kaito… Despite how terribly coordinated these guys are, they’re good at one thing – sticking to their plan of feigning ignorance. They don’t want to slip up and accept blame now, do they?

“W-We thought it was all a big misunderstanding, as well…” Rin shyly adds to Gakupo’s burst of outrage. “We know you’re not a malicious person, Kaito-san, so please… Please don’t continue to act that way…!”

Is she seriously trying to push a ‘change of heart’ speech onto me? Not gonna lie, I’m a little weirded out now. In fact, that strange feeling I’ve had before… washes over me in that moment.

“Don’t bother, Rin.” Len firmly tells her to give up, and with a defeated whimper, she nods once and falls silent. Again, I’ve had no chances to get a word in. They’re trying hard to manipulate the situation.

“I see how you managed to convince Principal Hiyama that I’m guilty of cheating,” I finally tut, and even though the blonde-haired male is eyeing me up with a mean glare, I stand unafraid. I’m confident in the thought that he won’t dare to lay a hand on me. He’s good at manipulating, and he’s good at lying. But he won’t be able to worm his way out of assaulting someone.

“Did you only come here to freak out on us? I don’t quite get it,” Gumi casually asks, staring down at her nails, as though growing bored.

“I think he’s lost it,” Neru snickers, answering her friend. “His fragile little ego simply can’t bear that he’s messed up and been called out for the cheater he is.”

“That’s exactly it,” Len says, reaffirming Neru’s statement and treating it like fact. Acting like some sort of glorious leader and letting his ‘subjects’ know how awful and fragile I apparently am. And I mean, as weird as it is on its own, it’s not _that_ bad… Except there’s that strange feeling nagging at me again. “He hates that he’s been caught for cheating. For stealing _our_ ideas and trying to get us disqualified from the Talent Trials. He’s deluded himself into thinking it’s our fault. He’s looking for someone to push all of his anger onto.”

The air in here… It hasn’t been this hot all along, has it? The light trickle of sweat on my forehead has made itself apparent, following with a swift shiver down my spine. I remember feeling a slight warmth when I first came into the music classroom, but it’s growing to be almost too much to handle.

I try to speak up to defend myself amidst this madness, but I find that my words get all caught up in my throat. And that’s when I realise why I’m suddenly struck with fear. I slowly scan my eyes over the five of them. Len standing in the middle of the group, a few paces closer to me than I last remember. Neru and Rin are stood together on one side… and Gakupo and Gumi the other… “Wh-What…?” That’s the most I can muster; a pathetic, weak hiss, unable to believe my eyes. Their faces are somehow devoid of any emotion. Blank slates. Looking right at me. Am I… Am I really growing delusional…?

“You don’t understand, do you, Kaito-san?” Len is the only one who’s able to say anything and show any sort of expression. The room is silent. So fucking silent. Yet I swear there’s some barely audible hissing, or… or burning… just idly lingering somewhere… “You’re the cheater here. You tried to ruin our lives. And now you’re trying to make it seem like we’re the bad ones.”

“H-Hey,” I can’t raise my voice as much as I’d like to, but I manage to get that one little thing out. That’s my only form of defense, a small order, as he takes a couple more steps toward me. I don’t know why, but that strange feeling is now screaming at me, like some sort of alarm, warning me that if I don’t snap out of paralysis, something bad will happen. Something bad will happen if I let Len take any more steps closer. “I… I said, hey…!” I can’t move. Shit, why can’t I move…?! Breathing growing shallow, my heart races. My entire body is shaking for reasons I can’t understand, but in the midst of the horrible, burning fear in the pit of my stomach, I’m able to gain back slight control. And it happens without even a second thought.

I swiftly throw my hands forward in hopes of shoving Len away from me, and while my palms certainly make contact with something, I’m not sure what that something is. The second I come anywhere near him, a bright burning light materialises from thin air, and I immediately screw my eyes shut in reaction. “F-Fuck!” I pull my hands back and cover my eyes. It feels like I may very well go blind if I don’t get as much darkness and cover as possible within the next second. Of course, I lose control of every other part of my body while stumbling back to turn away from that light.

“Oww...” With a harsh thud and maybe even a crack, I land onto my backside. And when my body makes that connection with the floor… It’s all over. I no longer feel a terrible pressure telling me to keep my eyes shut… And so, I slowly lower my arms from my face and my eyelids flutter open.

…

“Oh, oh no… A-Are you okay…?”

“Wuah!” Sucking in a sharp breath, I’m startled by the unexpected sight of Rin Kagamine leaning down rather close to me with her hand stuck out. I scramble back a bit, pretty much just scooting my poor, sore butt across the floor to get some much needed personal space. My heart is still going crazy in my chest. Instinctively, I throw an arm up in front of me, although I do so rather weakly due to the drowsiness I start to feel in that moment. “I… I’m…”

What happened? Did I pass out? I flick my glance between the group. Rin has a terribly worried pout pulling at her lips; Neru and Len are stood together with equally concerned expressions. Gakupo and Gumi… They’re also standing together, but that’s when I notice Mrs. Prima beside them. Gakupo’s mouth is moving… I can’t quite hear what he’s saying, as they’re at another end of the classroom presumably for privacy.

“Ah…!” Rin lets out a deep sigh in relief. “I’m so glad you’re okay. You had us so worried… You suddenly passed out, and had quite a nasty hit to your head…!”

My head? As she says that, I lightly run my fingers over the back of my head. “Ouch-!” Even with the slightest pressure applied, there is indeed a sore spot back there. I yank my fingers away, bitterly scowling. It’s strange. I don’t recall passing out. Although… I suppose it’s not normal to remember those things…

“Here, let me help you up,” Rin smiles brightly at me, gesturing to her hand that she’s still patiently holding out for me.

I hesitantly stare up at her hand, before trailing my eyes along her arm and up to her face. I can’t remember a damn thing that happened. All I know is that I went looking for Rin and her friends in a fit of anger. I must’ve came here, and then… Passed out? It’s all confusing. She’s offering me a sweet, genuine smile. In that moment, doubt crosses my mind. If she’s the one who framed me, she wouldn’t be this nice to me. Right…?

“We had to call Mrs. Prima over. We weren’t sure what else to do,” she softly giggles, appearing to be embarrassed by her lack of logical thinking during panic.

“Oh…?” I weakly smile, stretching my hand out and finally taking hold of hers. “C-Careful, I’m heavier than I look...” With a snicker, I shuffle myself into a different position that makes it a bit easier to be hauled back up to my feet.

“Oh, I’m stronger than I look, don’t worry,” she playfully responds, sliding her free hand down to support my arm. She’s able to pull me back up relatively easily. Seems like she’s telling the truth about being pretty strong. “There we go.” She takes a step back, giving me some much needed room to breathe.

“Geez...” My whole body feels awful. I’m in that disorientated state that I’m only used to feeling after a power-nap. I look down at my legs in a sort of confused state, checking for any scratches or scrapes. I trail my eyes up and land on my palms. That’s weird. They’re burning bright red. They aren’t stinging that much… It looks a lot worse than it feels, but I don’t quite understand how they ended up like that. “S-So… What happened to me?”

“Huh? Well…” Rin seems to be a bit caught off by the question.

“Oh, you clumsy thing!” Mrs. Prima is coming my way, with Gakupo and Gumi following behind her. She calls out to me with a scolding yet sympathetic tone. Not sure whether to be offended or… “Now, Kaito. You know you’re not supposed to be wandering the halls while you’re on curfew, yes?”

“I, uh…” Yeah, I don’t have an excuse for that. At least she doesn’t want to tear my head off.

“Aha, about that, Mrs. Prima…!” Gumi comes to my rescue, and I’m not sure why it’s her of all people, but I’m not exactly complaining. I’m sure the last time I spoke to her, she wasn’t my biggest fan… She butts in with an apologetic grin. “You see, we called him over because we, um… We really wanted to sort out this whole mess and come to an understanding. See, we don’t really believe that Kaito-san would… you know… And, well, basically we just wanted to talk with him.”

I raise a brow at that. Not the best excuse ever, yet Mrs. Prima buys it. “Y-Yeah, that’s right…”

Well, she _half_ buys it. “That’s very sweet of you, Gumi. However, Principal Hiyama has made it clear that Kaito is not allowed to be roaming the halls under strict punishment. The judgement must be made by Mr. Hiyama and Mr. Hiyama alone, so while I appreciate your kindness, I will have to give out a punishment of my own.”

“Ha… aha...” Gumi’s laughter fades into a nervous smile, darting her apologetic eyes between her friends.

“Gumi, since you’re so thoughtful, you will accompany Kaito while he gets checked over at the Nurse’s Office,” Mrs. Prima announces. Not sure how I feel about that one. Besides, I don’t really need to go see the nurse… “The rest of you can head back to your dorms until the music show in a couple of hours. I believe it’s time you get dressed, no?”

“Wh-What about me…?” Gumi puffs her cheeks out in protest.

“I’m sure you won’t mind sparing your looks in order to be there for your new best friend, hmm?” Mrs. Prima devilishly grins at the green-haired girl. She claps her hands twice to redirect everyone’s attention back onto her. “Chop, chop! Off we go, out of my classroom, please!”

“Ah, geez,” I sigh under my breath. Sure, don’t ask me what I’d like to do. Just pretend I agree with everything teacher says. I’d rather go lay down in my bedroom and sleep the entire night away. Then in the morning, I can forget the Talent Trials ever happened. But, looks like I’m going to the Nurse’s Office whether I like it or not.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to get a little bit spooooky~ and suspicious. Maybe Kaito really is cracking under the pressure. Who knows. :)


	13. Chapter Twelve - Echoes and Tremors

“Ow- Careful with- Ouch-!”

Prodding and poking at me with her long nails, sticking small plasters practically all over my face, the nurse attends to me for what feels like an eternity. Each little prod uncovers the stinging sensation of a cut I didn’t know I had. I’m sure I’ll be leaving this room with more scratches than I started with. My only form of protest is to remind her to be gentle, but that evidently falls upon deaf ears, as she carries on while humming a sweet tune to herself. Must be nice to have so little awareness, no cares in the world.

“My, you had quite the tumble, didn’t you?” She finally addresses me, although it’s the typical sort of blame-y thing I’d expect from an adult. “You must be more careful next time. Do you know what could’ve led to this? Any stresses lately?”

I follow her movement with my eyes; she trots over to the little desk beside the bed I’m resting in, retrieving a clipboard and pen. I’m still in a bit of a daze, so my memory of everything that’s happened the past couple days is blurry. “I’m not sure what happened...”

She flicks her questioning glance to the green-headed girl sat near my bed. “You were there, weren’t you? Surely you must’ve seen what happened.”

“Um, well...” Gumi lightly rubs at her cheek with a finger, at a loss for words. “You see, it all went down so fast. One minute we were talking to Kaito-san, and the next, he just crumples to the floor!”

That sounds as vague as my explanation of events, which is kind of odd. She saw the whole thing, didn’t she? I hope there’s not some sort of cover up going on here… “Yeah, that’s the best you’re gonna get… Sorry,” I flash an apologetic smile, although it’s painful to even smile properly right now. “I guess I’ve been a little stressed over these Talent Trials, though.”

I can see that look in the nurse’s eyes. I’m sure she’s been made aware of my supposed foul play in the events. Me being ‘a little’ stressed probably seems like a huge understatement to her. But, she’s here to help, not judge. She gives a little grin, before nodding. “Yes, well… It’s nothing serious this time.” She scribbles some things down onto the clipboard, and I can only wonder what judgemental things rest on that piece of paper. Best I don’t find out. “Oh, by the way, we’ve gone ahead and phoned your parents to update them on a few things. You should be hearing back from them pretty soon. In the meantime, rest up for a couple hours, okay? We’ll get you signed out formally later.”

With a deep sigh, my head flops back onto the pillow. Not the most comfortable thing, but it’s good enough… Especially with the horrible aching all over my body. It’s like it’s more mental soreness than physical… Like something more than just a fall happened. It’s strange to think about, and whenever I try to recall it over in my head, that unsettling feeling within me only grows.

The nurse heads out of the room, presumably back into the main office to take more phone calls or something. Some of the tension fades away once she’s gone. Too many questions and far too much poking.

I have no choice but to let go of my anger from earlier. At least for now. I turn my slow, tired gaze over to Gumi, who’s still sitting beside my bed. “Why are you here?” That question comes out a lot more sourly than I intend, but at this point, I’m fed up. Exhausted and grumpy; no desire to fight and lash out, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up.

“I… I didn’t want to say anything while the nurse was here, but...” There’s a flash of a nervous expression on her face. Something is different. The entire time these Mahogany Creek kids have been here, they’ve been nothing but hostile and always trying to pick a fight. Gumi in particular hasn’t been my biggest fan. But now there’s actual depth to her? “Actually, I didn’t want to say anything while Len-kun was still around. Back then, in the music room, I… I don’t even know what happened. I can’t explain it.”

Narrowing my eyes, I urge her to elaborate. “Len-san? Why him specifically?” Literally everyone except Len’s friends and Neru has seen the problem with the guy, so it’s a bit surprising to hear that Gumi wants to hide a certain detail from him. That’s why I focus on that point first, rather than the other.

“I...” She still seems to be struggling to get her words out. That’s when I notice her skin has grown a shade lighter, pale as can be. She fixates her eyes on her quaking palms, as though remembering something she’s tried hard to shut out.

Concern wells up in my chest. I don’t like Mahogany Creek kids. I certainly don’t like Gumi. But I’m not a total asshole – she’s going through something unpleasant right now to say the least, and I’m the only one she trusts to expose this to. I have to do my best to ease her worries, no matter how I feel about this whole cheating thing. “Hey...” I weakly lift an arm, extending it out to rest my hand on top of hers, which are icy to the touch. I suck in a pained breath, not wanting to let her know how difficult it is to move. That one touch alone… The moment that connection is made… It’s like I’m seeing her in a totally different light.

Gumi’s shaking lessens significantly, and she tilts her head up to stare at me with wide eyes. It’s weird to be making such intense eye contact with someone I previously pretty much despised. She gulps down her fear, and is finally able to get more words out. “In the music room… I’m not sure how to prove it, and I’m probably going to sound crazy saying this, but… I’m convinced he was somehow responsible for you blacking out like that.”

Doubt doesn’t cross my mind for a single second. After all, I remember earlier… I suspected Rin and Len being behind a whole load of suspicious things. Perhaps it’s only Len, but it still checks out. “Do you remember what really happened?”

Gumi slowly shakes her head. “I… I think I was in a trance or something… I can only remember this weird floaty feeling, like a… a daydream,” she pauses a few times to verify things in her mind, and the best she can come up with in the end is something akin to a daydream. “I saw Len-kun approaching you. But… But not all fast, just… Small steps. Whispering something. I couldn’t hear. I couldn’t take my eyes off his back. It’s like I wasn’t even in control of my body.”

A chill runs down my spine at the thought. I definitely don’t remember anything like that happening, but with that cold tingling down my back… My gut tells me it’s close to the truth. It terrifies me to think too hard about it, so I don’t. “What about Rin-san? Or… Or Gakupo, or Neru-chan?”

She releases a shaky breath, one she’s probably been holding for almost too long. “I’m not sure. But since they were silent the entire time, I assume they felt the same. But I don’t think they were aware of that daydream in the same way I was,” she says, although in a quiet tone, perhaps worried that someone will be listening.

I can’t help but instinctively trail my eyes once over the room. This is a small, private cubicle. I’m sure nobody will be able to get close enough to hear what we’re saying.

“It actually gets a bit… weirder,” she shyly mumbles.

“As if it isn’t weird enough?” I raise a brow. With a huff, I pull my hand from hers, and let her continue.

“Heh,” she lets out a half-hearted laugh. “The only reason I can sorta remember that daydream thing is ‘cause I ended up snapping out of it. I… I heard a voice… I don’t know whose voice it was, but it didn’t belong to anyone I’ve ever met.” She averts her eyes as she admits this.

“A voice, huh…?” I mutter, thinking out-loud. Reminds me of the library. I wonder if this is the same sort of thing. “Was it… a woman’s voice?”

“Huh?” Gumi darts her glance back to me, blinking rapidly in confusion at how easily I go along with it. “N-No, but… You’ve…?” Shaken by my honestly unintended revelation, she can’t even finish her sentence.

“Ah...” I give a nervous chuckle. Perhaps I shouldn’t reveal that just yet. It might freak her out even more. “Not exactly.”

“Well, uh… No, it wasn’t a woman. I think it was a young man,” she responds. So maybe my library experience had been a prank after all. I don’t even know any more. “Confident, bold… Like a leader… But pained. There was like, a desperation in his voice...”

“Hmm...” I can’t help but let out a long, thoughtful hum. Though it’s not a very optimistic thought.

“It seemed like… ugh, I don’t know… not a memory. But a voice trapped in the past? Almost like it was another life or something,” Gumi softly explains. Geez, this whole ‘other life’ or ‘past life’ thing sure likes to follow me around. “But at the same time, it’s like he was speaking to me directly. Ordering me… ‘Get away…! I’ll take care of this, don’t get involved!’.” The way she re-enacts it in that tone full of fear and confusion, yet echoing that hint of desperation perfectly… Makes the knot in my stomach grow a bit tighter.

Lifting my hand up, I run my fingertips over my forehead to wipe away the sweat that’s starting to form there.

“When the voice said that… I can’t remember what happened next. I probably fell back into that daydream, until I found myself with Mrs. Prima in the room, and you collapsed on the floor.” She releases a heavy breath, glad to get all that off her chest.

I guess she’s telling me because I’m the one who supposedly fainted. “That’s a… a lot to take in,” I grumble. Where do I even begin to process this? On top of all the bullshit I’ve had to endure already? “Gumi-san, if you’re being honest with me, then please… Please tell me if you and your friends are involved with framing me for cheating.” That’s all I’m interested in knowing.

Gumi falls silent for the longest time, as though contemplating the best thing to say.

“I just...” I sigh, running my palm down my face, utterly tired. “I need to know. Maybe you got roped into it by Len-san… If you’re being sincere and honest with me, then admit it, and I won’t hold it against you.” It seems like the most possible scenario at this point. She’s been manipulated by Len… Right?

“I don’t know...” She finally pipes up, and it’s a bit of a let down.

Opening my mouth to push further, I’m swiftly cut off by the loud ringing of my phone out of nowhere. “Ah...” It’s resting on the bedside table. Looking over at the screen, I simply see ‘Mother’. Uh oh.

“We’ll talk about this tonight, okay? Before the music show,” Gumi suggests. Ugh, I’d much rather deal with this now and make my parents wait until later. She shuffles in her seat, straightening out her posture a bit with a small stretch, before picking herself up. “I’ll probably be in one of the drama dressing rooms at around 7, okay? We’ll sort it out then.”

“Alright, alright,” I give in, waving a hand dismissively. With that, she takes her leave, which means I have to face the inevitable and prepare for a _very, veeeery_ angry Mrs. Shion.

…

“I cannot even begin to put into words how disappointed and furious I am at you, Kaito!”

Not sure what physically hurts more. The aching in my chest and the sharp, throbbing pain in my head… Or the endless rant on the other end of the phone from my mother. I can’t take much more of this. I haven’t been able to get a single word in so far; it’s like she missed the part where I literally fainted, and instead she wants to skip right to blaming me. No idea where my father is in all of this.

“We did not raise you this way! It’s those friends of yours- What’s her name, Neru Akita? She’s such a troublemaker, I bet she helped you with scheming and tormenting those poor Mahogany Creek Academy children.”

At least she can’t see me roll my eyes pretty hard right now. I’m sure I’d get a swift smack if I had done so in her presence. But seriously, those _poor_ Mahogany Creek children. The only semi-decent kid from there is Gumi, and even then, that’s pushing it.

“Mom. You’re not listening to me.” She’s probably going to kill me for talking back to her, or for interrupting her. I’m too tired to deal with her accusations for much longer. She has to hear my side of things for once.

“Don’t you interrupt me while I’m telling you off, young man. You are only sixteen years old, don’t forget! I’ll pull you right out of that school and ground you until you’re eighteen if I have to,” Mom hisses from the other end of the phone, laying down the law.

Honestly, is it even a bad thing to be removed from this school any more? Whoever’s framed me has already ruined my life plenty. Okay, maybe I’m overreacting a small bit, but damn it. “I… I’m sorry, Mom. But please, listen to me. I don’t know how I can prove my innocence, but I didn’t cheat…!”

“The Principal has told me everything I need to know. I’m sure you think you can worm your way out of it and lie to me and your father, but it won’t work,” Mom continues on, not easing up in the slightest. Hey, why is it that nobody believes me…? My parents have always been quick to jump to conclusions though, so I guess I can’t really blame them… But do they really have _that_ low expectations of me? Ouch. “Why would you do something like this, Kaito…? We tried everything to make sure that… that you wouldn’t...” At that moment, her voice breaks. There’s a crack of regret in that stern lecture of hers.

“Mom...” I whisper. It’s as though my heart is shattering. She’s incredibly disappointed in me, and it sounds like she’s on the verge of tears. “I swear to you, I did not cheat. What reason would I possibly have to even consider such a thing? I know my friends aren’t saints, but… They hate me right now. Do you think I’d throw that all away for petty revenge?” I can’t help but momentarily chew on my lower lip, hoping my words will get through to her. It’s like everyone else has failed to think about me being guilty for more than a second. They haven’t considered all the reasons I _wouldn’t_ do this.

“Oh, Kaito…” Mom lets out a heavy sigh into my ear. That one sigh alone carries the weight of years of responsibility, where she had to make sure she raised me well enough to not mess up this badly. I can hear that weight… and that sadness along with frustration… As she tries to figure out how to approach this. It’s probably been harder for her and Dad than I could ever imagine. “I was terrified I’d failed you as a mother.”

“Hey… No need to be so down…” I reassuringly mumble, though in hindsight I should’ve said something not as dumb as that. “I was… with a, uh… a friend, at the time that I’d been reported to the Principal. I wasn’t anywhere near my bedroom. The other team never kept any notes lying around that I could easily copy. I know it’s hard to believe, but please.”

“No, I… I believe you,” she says, at last. I suppose the panic got the best of her. It happens a lot, so I can’t fault her for it. “It’s like I said, sweetie. When your principal told me the bad news, I had a flashback to a… a difficult time...”

“Mom…?” There’s a hint of confusion in my voice as I mutter that. It’s strange to hear her opening up in such an emotional manner. She usually vents to Dad about all that, not me. I’m used to her being strict and uptight. Well, she’s super caring, too. Always happy. “Did you… um… go through a hard time, when you gave birth to me?” I can’t believe I’m coming out with such words, really. I’ve never had a heart-to-heart with my mother before, not that I can recall, anyway. But since she had mentioned ‘failing to raise me’, my first guess is about my birth.

“I think we should save this conversation until we’re face-to-face, hun.”

Ugh, seriously! Again with ‘later’? An uncontrollable groan passes my lips.

Mom giggles sweetly, switching back to her upbeat self. “Don’t complain. It’s a personal matter.”

“Yeah, I get it...” I slowly shake my head. “There’s just a lot of things I’ve had to wait around for lately, so this is yet another.”

“Well, why don’t you come home this weekend?” Mom proposes. Yeesh, that feels like forever away, despite it being just a few days. “You can explain everything that’s happened, too. I’m sure we can work a solution out. But Kaito, please don’t try to do so on your own. You’ll only get into more trouble.”

Oh, if only she knew about the trouble I’ve already gotten myself into. “Alright. Thanks for believing me, Mom.” It’s nice to know I still have at least two people on my side.

“Hmm… Yes, I feel much better after phoning you,” Mom says. Yeah, all that shouting really clears your system, doesn’t it? “See you in a few days. Bye-bye, darling. Love you.”

Ahh, I’m gonna suffocate with all this love. Mothers are so embarrassing. “Okay. Bye, Mom. Love you, too.” Exchanging a few more ‘bye-bye’s before hanging up, Mom finally lets me go. I slide my phone back down onto the bedside table and plop into a more comfortable position.

Not as bad as I thought it’d be… I’m just glad I could convince her to not execute me. Allowing my eyes to slip shut, I take in a deep breath, hoping to shake off some of that pent up tension. My mind isn’t as clouded as it has been lately… I’m too sore to feel any more anger burning inside. Maybe the blame is all on Len, after all. He’s a damn good mastermind, I’ll give him that… It’s going to be hard to pin it on him. He’s tricked Gumi, Gakupo, Neru… Ms. Yuzuki and Mr. Hiyama… Maybe even Xingchen and her group of friends. He can trick a whole lot more if he wants.

Think, Kaito, think…! Don’t stop thinking…! There must be some way out of this. Fuck… “It’s impossible,” I moan, pressing my palms to my face, covering my eyes and blocking out the world. They’re going to win tonight. Then they’ll leave, go back to their stupid school, and never have to think about my miserable existence ever again. They’ll leave a trail of misery behind them, letting me pick up the pieces in their place.

I hope Gumi can help me come up with something. She’s smart, I’ll admit. She has to be able to get me out of this, if she really has a heart in there somewhere. I think she’s my only hope now.

…

The nurse forced a bit of food on me about half an hour ago, after I’d waken up from a short nap. The nap kind of helped to ease the aching in my body, but I can’t stomach much food. Especially the bland trays of ‘food’ they serve in here. The cafeteria is usually packed full of delicious meals, but it seems like this place gets its food from elsewhere, which is a damn shame, because now my gut is turning more than ever.

I’m given a few more general health checks, and then I’m finally set free. The nurse is reluctant to let me go since I barely ate anything, but I’m out of there faster than she can change her mind. Wincing lightly, I step out into the halls. A blast of cold air rushes my way, and while it’s much needed, it’s almost too chilly. I want this day to be over with already. I want to accept defeat and crawl into bed, and be known as a quitter or whatever for the rest of my days. But… I guess, Gumi is waiting for me… I hope my faith in her won’t prove to be misplaced.

Glancing around to get my bearings, I recall the drama classrooms being to my left somewhere. It’s not like I go there often or anything, but I know they’re a block or two away from the music room. I decide to take a bit of a leisurely walk, taking in the silence around me, appreciating this as a short break from all the chaos. Sure, every step I take is awfully agonising, but… I also wonder what happened back there. All I remember is storming over to Gumi and her friends in a rage. I wouldn’t be surprised if I got too confrontational, and one of them whacked me good. I think that’s the least I deserve.

With a heavy sigh, I soon find myself nearing the narrow corridor which leads toward a row of small dressing rooms. As I draw closer, I catch sight of someone standing just outside one of the doors, their back turned away from me. Squinting, I’m able to tell it’s definitely not Gumi. But it’s… Not a total stranger either?

“G-Gakupo?” I call out, my voice coming out all raspy and strained, along with a hint of bemusement rolling off my tongue. It makes sense he’d be here, I suppose…?

The purple-haired male immediately spins around to face me, and I can see an equally bewildered expression cross him, along with a glint of worry in his eyes. “Kaito-san…!” Rather uncharacteristically, he makes a short sprint to me, closing the distance between us – which for him, is from the end of the hall all the way to where I stand at the other end. He shoves his phone into his pocket as he hurries over to me.

All I can do is stop in my tracks, tilting my head to the side ever so slightly. Is he worried about me or something? Or could he possibly… have more bad news…? Oh great, it’s more bad news, isn’t it. Alright, deep breath. If I can bring myself to trust Gumi, maybe Gakupo isn’t a lost cause, either. “Hey, slow down. What’s up with you?”

“It’s- It’s Gumi-chan-!” There’s a certain panic to his voice, and his breathing is shallow… Almost like he’s been for a run and is now out of breath. He lets out a huff, running his palm across his forehead. “I can’t find her anywhere. She isn’t answering any texts, nor is she picking up the phone…!”

“Ah…” I mutter. I can’t help but feel slightly relieved to discover it’s not as serious as I expected. I mean, I guess it’s a little cute that he’s so worried about her… And yes, I am totally going to ignore that small pang in my chest at the fact that he cares about her _a lot._ Dumb Kaito. “D-Don’t worry, uh… Maybe she’s having dinner with Rin-san or Neru-chan and lost track of time?”

Gakupo shakes his head, instantly dismissing that possibility. Raising a brow in silence, I give him a challenging stare, pushing him to at least explain why I’m wrong. “We were supposed to meet up to get dinner together about fifteen minutes ago,” he says.

Alright, that makes sense. Still, just because they made plans… Half jokingly, I make a remark in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Well, it’s not like she’s your girlfriend or anything, right? She doesn’t have to stick to those plans if she doesn’t want to, or if she lost track of time with someone else.” Personally I think he’s blowing this way out of proportion. There’s also the fact she made plans with me and hasn’t bothered to show up, so he’s not the only one who’s been let down.

That typical, up-tight grimace pulls at Gakupo’s lips. Oh, how dare I make a joke at his expense. Geez, please crack a smile every so often. Sneering down at me, he responds in the most offended manner possible. “She may not be my girlfriend _yet,_ but she and I have a connection that someone like you and your ex could never begin to understand.”

Lightly folding my arms over my chest, I roll my eyes as a reflex. And we’re back to low blows. “Cool, so if you’re just going to piss me off like you always do, I’m gonna take my leave.” Just as I’m about to turn on my heels, I’m stopped before I can make any sort of movement; Gakupo grabs at my shoulder and yanks me back into position.

“Not so fast!”

“Hey, ow-! Be careful, you asshole!” I growl, cutting him off and scolding him for so carelessly forgetting about my injuries from earlier. I wriggle myself free of his grip; rolling my shoulder back only causes me more aching. “Ugh...” I hiss under my breath, screwing my eyes shut for a moment. “You can get _so_ fucked if you think I’d ever willingly help you again, Kamui!” Snapping back less than a second later, I open my eyes and unleash that pent up fury from before all onto him.

He blinks a few times, seemingly caught off guard by the toxicity spewing from me. Breathing heavily, I await his answer, which I hope is him tucking his tail between his legs and moving on. “I… I’m sorry.”

I don’t think I heard that right. He’s… being nice…? Lowering my arms to my sides, I let out a soft sigh, averting my eyes as the silence hangs between us. He’s doing pretty much the exact same thing. This whole thing has got to my head. Not just mine, but his, too. We need to drop this petty rivalry, and in this sincere moment that we’re sharing right now… That’s when I finally acknowledge it, and let my anger fade. Actually hearing an apology from him pushes me to realise I’ve been just as bad as him.

“Gumi-chan means a lot to me. And… I know Miku-san means a lot to you, too. I shouldn’t have made that dumb ‘ex-girlfriend’ jab,” Gakupo softly mutters, and although neither of us are brave enough to make eye contact in such a vital turning point, I know his words come from the heart.

It’s just like earlier with Gumi… Something told me to trust her. Now the same voice is urging me to trust Gakupo, without any more doubts. Sucking in a breath, I tilt my head back up to sneak a peek at him. He’s rubbing at the back of his neck, gaze still averted to a wall off to the side. “Well, I’m sorry, too...” It takes a lot just for me to push aside my pride. But it’s only fair. “I understand Gumi-san is important to you. I should’ve offered to help look for her, rather than brushing it off.” Ignoring the weird tingling of jealousy in the pit of my stomach, of course…

Gakupo flicks his glance back at me, and when our eyes finally meet, he plasters on a small grin. “We can work on apologies later, okay?”

For once, that’s something I can agree on with him. Giving a nod, I can’t help but break out into a little smile. That beam of his is actually pretty infectious, damn it. “Yeah...” I say, and with that, I put my mind to use for a change. “Gumi-san wanted to meet me in one of these dressing rooms. Did you catch up with her after she left the Nurse’s Office?” Time to brainstorm where she could possibly be.

Letting a thoughtful, deep sigh pass his lips, Gakupo turns his back to lean against the nearby wall. Propping a foot up, he folds his arms and gathers his thoughts for a couple moments. “Mmh… I got a text from her saying she was going to see you after dinner, but that’s about it...” He offers a light shrug.

“Well, I just decided to come over here early on the off chance that she’d be early, too. I didn’t know she had plans with you or anything,” I simply say, rubbing at my cheek with a finger. “By the way, did she… tell you about earlier…?”

Raising a brow in curiosity, he shakes his head. “Not really. It’s like I said, we only exchanged a few texts up until she stopped responding out of nowhere.”

“I… I guess she can tell you herself, once we find her.” I make sure I choose my words as carefully as possible – to be as optimistic as I can, for Gakupo’s sake.

“If it’s about what happened in the music classroom, then yeah, I need to hear about it from her,” he sighs. “I have no clue what went down, honestly.”

So, Gumi and I aren’t the only ones. Rin, Len and Neru were there as well, though… With that in mind, I suggest we go find them and see if they’re with Gumi.

…

The music event will be starting shortly. It’s weird. I had been sort of excited for it when everything was normal and we were rehearsing without a care in the world. But now that it’s almost here, I dread the thought of it. Even if Lily and her gang aren’t completely musically challenged, I doubt they’ll be good enough to beat the likes of Gumi and Gakupo’s group.

Groaning in my head, I push those thoughts aside for now. There’s nothing I can do any more, except focus on proving my innocence. I know my mother told me not to, but what else am I supposed to do? Besides, she doesn’t have to know every little thing I’m doing tonight…

The cool night air outside sends an unpleasant tingle down my back. It’s almost like an ominous warning or something. The pressure to fix everything and track down Gumi is weighing down on my chest, crushing me. Makes it hard to think straight. The two of us don’t really talk much on the way over to where the event is being held; it’s at the heart of the campus, the largest space that’s available to host such a prestigious thing. Mr. Hiyama doesn’t like to go small, after all. If our school loses, at least we have a kick ass arena, right?

The sky is slowly being enveloped by a thick blanket of darkness, covering up the last remaining mix of warm, reassuring colours. I know we’re getting close to the event area when we’re greeted by the ridiculously blinding stage lights that stretch out toward us from a decent distance away. Grimacing, I squint my eyes to ease the uncomfortable burning sensation caused by this over-the-top display. There are a few younger students starting to crowd in front of the outdoor stage, which I find is a lot bigger than I pictured it once we close in. On the stage itself, there are numerous helpers – mostly familiar Oak Valley faces – carrying various bits of equipment on and following teachers’ orders. A few other students are in charge of setting up white fences around the perimeter.

“Wow...” Gakupo breaks the silence, letting an impressed whistle slide from his mouth. We momentarily stop in our tracks; he must want to admire all the hard work going into this setup. Propping his hands on his hips, he glances around.

I suppose it’s a nice view from near the crowd. It’s not all that impressive to me, though. I’ve passed this stretch of campus probably a thousand times already. Although I guess I can’t say I’ve ever stumbled upon such a massive concert setting. Why can’t our school try this hard for every Talent Trials event? Yeesh.

“And I thought Mahogany Creek put in some good work,” he softly laughs.

“Hmm… You’re saying this is better than your school’s concerts?” I wonder.

“Well… I wouldn’t say ‘better’… But this sure lives up to Mahogany’s standards.” Gakupo chuckles once more. It’s odd to hear compliments from this guy. I have to get used to that. “Anyway...” That brief moment of peace is far too short-lived. By the way he huffs that single word out, he must wish it could last a bit longer, too.

Taking another look at the stage, I scan my eyes over the structure so far. “Hey...” I tap him on the arm with the back of my hand, gesturing my head to behind the stage. “Looks like they’ve set up some tents as a sort of backstage or prep area.”

“Oh… Good eye,” Gakupo praises me. I figured he’d be more observant, honestly. He lowers his hands from his hips before continuing. “Let’s go see if we can figure out where Neru-san and Rin-san are. Maybe Len-san will be with them, as well.”

It’s a shame we can’t have more low-key moments like that. Shrugging it off, I follow after Gakupo as he heads over to the tents. They’re a short distance behind the stage, and as we get closer, I notice each of them have little pieces of paper crudely stuck to the outside.

“Huh?” Gakupo snorts, reaching out to lightly grab hold of a random tent’s sticky-note. He tilts the note up to get a closer look at it. “It’s a schedule. You guys are oddly efficient when it comes to this whole planning thing.”

“Nah, I doubt it was us,” I wave a hand in dismissal. “Ms. Yuzuki probably came up with this extra crap.”

“Well… This one’s for a whole bunch of unfamiliar students. Let’s go check out a few more.” He sets the note down; it falls back into place, albeit with one or two more crinkles than it previously had.

There’s certainly life in a few of these tents. They’re all a standard dark grey-ish colour, reasonable sizes for multiple people to fit in at once, but it’s not hard to miss the lights shining within, signifying that they’re occupied. Plus there’s some idle chit-chat and giggles here and there, while sweet melodies drift out from others.

It takes a while, with there being so many damn bands performing… But Gakupo finally comes across the tent that his group should be occupying now. “Schedule says we’re supposed to be in here to prep for a while. And it looks like we’re one of the first bands up. Great...”

“Ugh,” I sigh. That means less time to figure things out. Gotta move fast, it seems.

Gakupo subtly rolls his eyes before pulling the zip to the tent down. It opens up to reveal that only Rin and Neru are sitting inside, appearing to be in the middle of a serious conversation. Well, that’s my guess, from the sorrowful, teary-eyed look on Rin’s face. “Hey… Um, is everything okay?” He crouches down a bit and squeezes himself into the tent, finding a small cushion to plop himself down onto beside Neru.

“O-Oh, Kaito-san… You’re okay…?” Rin sniffles, turning her attention to me rather than answering Gakupo straight away.

“Ah...” I rub at my arm, feeling sweat start to form at my brow. I can feel Neru’s cold glare piercing right into my soul… They’re probably nice and warm in there… And I’m standing out here in the freezing night, like an awkward, bumbling idiot. Not really sure if I’m welcome to just barge in, though.

Neru tuts under her breath, pulling her eyes from me. Ouch.

“C’mon, get in here, Kaito-san.” Gakupo casually ushers me in, which leaves me with no room for doubt.

It’s a bit difficult to lean down. Gritting my teeth together to stop myself from whimpering like a pathetic injured dog, I clamber into the tent and spin around to close the zip for now. Once I’m actually inside, it looks a bit more roomy. Not the most glamorous or spacious, but there’s a sizeable mirror, some swirling makeup and hair chairs, as well as some comfy cushions on the floor. Yes, there’s even a makeshift floor covering the grass. I slowly lower myself onto the chair near the mirror, turning myself around to face the others. I don’t want to risk lowering myself that far down onto the ground, just in case I burst something inside me…

“Y-Yeah, I’m still kickin’,” I scoff, in a half-hearted joking manner. “What about you, though?” I’m able to get a quick look at the stinging red bags under Rin’s eyes.

“I… I can’t find Len-kun anywhere...” she admits, a pout pulling at her lips.

Without really thinking, I dart my glance over to Gakupo, at a loss for words. His eyes meet mine for a moment, and before I can get a word in, he speaks.

“This isn’t sounding so good. Kaito-san and I can’t find Gumi-chan...” He breaks the news, and that gets an emotional reaction from Neru, whereas Rin is more verbal.

“N-No… Not Gumi-chan, too…! Oh, no. Wh-What if… What if something…?” She’s understandably shaken. I feel the same way. She seems like the type to crack under pressure though, and I can’t blame her for that.

“Hey, don’t think like that,” Neru is quick to come to her new friend’s aid, resting a firm but friendly hand on Rin’s shoulder. Neru’s always been level-headed, most of the time. She’s good at helping people calm down. It’s nice to see that she’s recovered from her run-in with Lily the other day. “I’m sure they’re both fine. Right, Gakupo-san?” She tosses a wary glance to the male over her shoulder, one Rin won’t be able to see. That flicker of worry… Maybe I assumed things too soon.

Gakupo pauses to think. “Right… You know what Gumi-chan is like. She always wants to get in some extra practice on her own, to be one step ahead. Len-san is the same way, isn’t he?”

Rin gulps down her fears of the worst, before slowly nodding. “M-Maybe...” Though she isn’t entirely convinced.

“The Talent Trials are a big deal to them, as well...” I add. They’re trying to make Rin feel better, so I have no other choice but to play along with them. Despite my bad feeling about Len himself… It’s Rin’s brother. Can’t take it out on her. “Maybe we should make a quick stop over to the music studios. They might’ve lost track of time.” It’s the same thing I told Gakupo, but… Well, it’s the next logical step to take. Look somewhere familiar.

Neru gently rubs Rin’s back, wordlessly reassuring the girl as she holds back her sobs. “Kaito-san is right,” she bitterly mutters. Wow, sounds like that’s painful for her to say. How lovely. “Come on. You’re brave, Rin-chan. Aren’t you? We’ll go over to the studios and we’ll find Len-kun.”

“And Gumi-chan,” Gakupo slyly cuts in, reminding Neru about the existence of another missing person besides her precious boyfriend.

I’m sensing some unresolved tension between these two. Ouch. I don’t even want to go there. Speaking of ‘ouch’, I don’t think it’ll be a simple task to stand up from this chair. Watching as Neru and Rin make their way out of the tent, Gakupo stands up soon after. I press my palms against the arms of the chair, sucking in a deep breath, anticipating the undoubtedly unbearable pain that will follow once I decide to move.

“Uh...” Just as he’s about to step out, he sends a slightly confused head tilt my way. “You good there?”

Blinking a few times, I realise he’s referring to me. “Eh? Y-Yeah, just… just getting myself ready to stand up,” I flash a confident grin, although it’s quite a pathetic one. I hope I’m not that easy to read. Look, I’ll tolerate this purple-haired devil, but I don’t want him to bend over backwards helping me. I’ve pressed my palms quite hard against the chair, but I still haven’t been able to get up.

Tutting, Gakupo trots over to me, calling over his shoulder to the girls waiting outside. “One sec, you two. Gotta help the patient over here.”

“H-Hey- It’s fine, you’ll just make it worse-” That insult sort of slips out on its own. I think my mind is still on ‘hate Gakupo’ auto-pilot. “Uhh… I mean…”

That familiar devilish smirk pulls at his lips as he leans down to my level. “It’ll take more than that to offend me. Don’t worry about it. I promise I won’t drop you or yank you up super hard. Here...” He holds his hands out to me, replacing that punchable smirk with an admittedly heart-warming smile of an angel. Wait… Did I really just…?

Immediately setting those trash thoughts alight, I try my hardest to ignore the growing warmth at my cheeks and make a swift grab for his hands. At first, I don’t really think about it all that much… Y’know, the whole, making actual skin-to-skin contact with Gakupo… But when he starts to tug and gently ease me up from the chair, it only _just_ kicks in, and for some reason I lose my mind completely.

“Heh, you know… It’d be helpful if you… put in the slightest bit of effort,” he huffs in a strained voice. Yeah, I’m essentially dead weight right now. Too busy focusing on every little detail now that he’s so close to my face. Is that weird?

“A-Ah…!” I’m being a creep again, oh my god. What is wrong with me…! Gasping lightly, I jolt up from the chair without any prior thoughts about my poor condition… And poor Gakupo doesn’t see it coming at all. With the sudden weight transfer from him yanking at me with all his strength and me being like a sack of potatoes, to me suddenly jumping up… “Shit!” I stumble forward just as he stumbles back.

“Wh-Whoa… I gotcha…!” Like an absolute champ, he grips my hands tighter in that dazed moment of losing balance; he keeps his footing the best he can while I foolishly fall right into his chest.

“Ouch…!” The bridge of my nose takes the hardest blow, really. Right into his chest. Yes, my face is buried in Gakupo Kamui’s chest. My entire body is leaning against his, as I lost all control of my balance thanks to me being weird and losing my train of thought. “Mmh...” I groan. It only just hits me that Rin and Neru saw the entire thing.

“Don’t mind us, boys...” comes Neru’s exasperated sigh of impatience.

“Hehe...” Rin only lets slip a short, teasing giggle.

“Shit, sorry!” I gasp, pulling back from Gakupo in a flash. The only contact that remains is that we’re still joined at the hands.

“Aha… It’s...” He trails his glance down to our connected hands. Is… Is that a hint of shyness in his tone…? “I-” Without warning, his words are cut short by an unexplainable sensation beneath our feet.

“H-Huh?” Instinctively darting my eyes around the area, I try to pinpoint the source of what’s going on. Eyes growing wide, as it’s something I’ve never felt in all my life. A light rumbling, which only lasted a split second…

“Whoa, what the fuck was that?” Neru is the first to ask the obvious, bewildered. The two girls outside are gawking up at the sky, maybe trying to catch sight of a plane or jet. But that’s impossible, right?

“Shit, hold onto something, girls-!” Gakupo barks an order at the two, before throwing an arm around me out of nowhere and keeping my fragile body steady under his support.

“G-Gakupo?” There’s too much going on to process right now. But not long after he shouts that, and the two girls can do nothing but duck onto the ground… Another light rumble follows. But this time, it’s far more intense than the last. “Ah!” I hiss, my sense of balance being thrown off yet again. My whole perception is being shaken around, by the violent tremor that seems to last forever. I cling onto Gakupo who’s doing his best to keep the both of us safe. My heart is pounding in my chest – it’s such a strong shaking that I’m growing terrified with each long second that passes. I simply screw my eyes shut and wait for it to pass.

“F-Fuck…!” Neru curses in shock.

It finally passes after a few seconds. Whatever it is, it had been so intense that even now it’s stopped, it feels like my body is still vibrating. Slowly, unsure and worried, my eyelids flutter open. “Wh-What… what the fuck was…?” I hadn’t realised how breathless I am. I’ve felt minor earthquakes in my life before. But that… No, that’s unlike any earthquake I’ve experienced before.

“Is it over?” Rin quietly whimpers, palms clamped loosely against her ears.

Gakupo releases a heavy breath, pulling away from me. “Kaito-san… Didn’t you hear that? During the earthquake?” He releases his hands from mine. I can see his shoulders still shaking lightly.

I shake my head, wondering what on earth he could’ve heard during all that. “What do you-?”

“Yo, what the fuck!” Neru yells out some more expletives, this time sounding nothing but thoroughly freaked out. “Everyone is still walking about and doing their own thing like that shit didn’t even happen!”

“Nevermind,” Gakupo mumbles. “Come on...”

Right. There’s still more to do. My head is spinning… Despite that, I follow Gakupo out of the tent, at last. Neru is pacing back and forth just outside the tent; seems like she wants to be much more vocal about wrapping her head around the sudden tremor.

“I… I’m so confused…” Rin softly says, following Neru’s frantic movements with her eyes. Back and forth. Back and forth… Girl is going to get dizzy in a minute.

“There’s no way they didn’t feel that,” Gakupo says, in disbelief. Trust me, things are so much better when you stop thinking about them. It’s probably bad that I’ve adapted that way of approaching things, but I’d be a bundle of stress and anger if I faced things head on these days.

“Ah! Th-There’s Miku-san and Dell-san!” Rin interrupts our collective stunned confusion, pointing over a few feet away.

“Mi-chan…?” A huge wave of relief washes over me just by hearing her name. But wait, why is she and Dell coming over to the tents? When I flick my glance to where Rin is pointing, I can indeed catch sight of Miku and Dell. I bite down on my lower lip, gulping down the urge to rush over to her.

“Ugh, you have _got_ to be fucking kidding me.” Not so subtly, Neru releases an over-dramatic huff and turns her back to the two as they come closer.

“Yikes...” Gakupo grunts, rubbing at the back of his neck.

I can’t take my eyes off Miku the entire time. Maybe it’s weird, but fuck it… I hadn’t realised how much I need her until now. Dell doesn’t look too happy to be here, though. His arms are crossed over his chest, and his stance in general conveys perfectly that he’s not here to forgive me.

“K-Kaito-kun...” Miku stops just a couple steps in front of me. Dell, pretty much mimicking Neru’s childish ways, stops in his tracks a small distance from Miku and doesn’t bother to face me. This is… ridiculous.

“You’re… speaking to me?” I lightly rub at my cheek. That’s the most cowardly way I could’ve phrased that. Talk about beta male, geez. Ugh, fuck it, I can’t help feeling utterly miserable that Miku cut me out of her life without even giving me a chance.

“I… I was coming to watch the music show being set up, but then I… well, Dell-kun included… we both felt this horrible shaking beneath us,” Miku’s words come out as a jumbled mess. She can’t pace herself well enough, and while it’s intelligible, it’s rather fast. More importantly, she felt the trembling. “A-And it was so weird, but… I swear I heard your voice… You were calling for me, and when I looked in the direction of that voice, I saw you here. I just had to make sure you were alright…!”

“H-Hold on, slow down,” I hold my hands up to put a stop to her rambling for a moment. This is a lot to take in. “First of all, did anyone else feel that earthquake?”

Chewing on her lower lip, she quickly shakes her head. “It’s like they weren’t bothered by it at all. Luckily Dell-kun was there to stop me from falling over...” She sends a soft smile his way, and while he looks over his shoulder, that cold, empty stare is directed mostly at me.

“Okay, and… A voice?” Gumi mentioned the same thing. Actually…

“I heard a voice, too.” Gakupo takes a step forward, piping up with his own input.

“It’s weird because I didn’t hear a single thing,” I sigh. “Well, other than my heart about to burst out of my chest. It was scary.” A sarcastic, bitter laugh rolls off my tongue, as I poke fun at myself.

“I… I’m so sorry for not believing you, Kaito-kun...” To my surprise, Miku utters those words. Ones I hadn’t expected to hear at all. I thought she’d be mad at me, well, forever. “That experience and tremor was so powerful… And I know it sounds crazy… But it brought me back to you. I was so scared, and I was even more scared that you’d been hurt during it, so I… I came to you to ask for comfort, and forgiveness...”

“W-Wow,” I softly chuckle. I’ve never heard Miku so mature and sincere before. Well, she’s been sincere, of course… But mostly childish and over-the-top. I’m not sure what’s going on here, yet I won’t complain if some weird force has brought us back together.

“Aww… you’re so sweet, Miku-san!” comes Rin’s cheer of support from behind us.

Miku lets out the purest little giggle. “Well?” She extends her hand out to me.

“Of course I forgive you. I should be the one asking for forgiveness,” I say, gently gripping her hand in mine, taking a step forward and lifting my free hand up to caress her cheek. “I don’t know how I can prove my innocence, but… I promise you, I didn’t cheat.” I drop my voice to a whisper, murmuring words that only she can hear. She’s the only one who needs to know.

“Wow, how lovely!” The sickening sounds of _the most sarcastic clapping ever_ rings out from behind us, cutting the moment short.

Releasing a heavy sigh, I wordlessly apologise to Miku and pull away from our little embrace. Of course, Neru has to be the only one who has a problem with this. At least Dell has the decency to keep his toxicity to himself, even if he’s only waiting until we finished making up to protest. I slip my hand from Miku’s, instead standing at her side to raise a bored brow at Neru. She’s already decided to face us, her face void of any emotion.

“If you don’t mind, we have much more important things to be doing here,” the tomboy’s blank expression soon forms into a scowl. “I couldn’t give a shit about your lovey-dovey romance. People have gone missing!”

“W-Well, she kind of has a point, but…” Rin awkwardly butts in.

“Oh, no… You’re right, Gumi-san isn’t here… And Len-san?” Miku blinks, glancing around our small group. “I’m sorry, Neru-chan. If I had noticed sooner, I-”

“When has your air-headed, small brain _ever_ noticed something before the rest of us?” Neru saunters closer to the two of us, her speech patterns mirroring Lily’s. The same intimidation tactics being put into play. It’s disgusting, and before I get a chance to jump to her defense, I’m too late.

“If you’re so worried about your boyfriend, how about you stop wasting precious time bullying us here and fuck off to look for him?” Dell snaps, and while I’m glad he’s sticking up for us, it’s not in the most peaceful way.

“I-If we could just...” Rin tries multiple times to calm Neru and Dell down, but once the two butt heads, it’s going to take more than that to keep the peace.

“Yeah…!” Miku nods in agreement with Dell. “Why are you wasting time intimidating us and talking down to us, when you could be out there looking for Len-san? I’m growing so sick of your attitude lately, Neru-chan! You’re like a completely different person!” The assertive hint in her tone makes me feel immensely proud, to be honest.

“This is who I’ve always been, you dumb bitch.” Neru sneers, taking another step forward. Inching closer to Miku.

Again, I barely have any time to react or help, as Dell shoves his hand right against my shoulder to shove me aside; he takes the front line and blocks the gap between the two girls. “H-Hey...” I hiss, but it falls upon deaf ears.

“Back away, Akita.” Uh oh, big boy pants are on.

Her confidence remains; she’s even bold enough to narrow her eyes and stare him down. “Or what? Whatcha gonna do, Honne?” She challenges him with a witch-like snicker.

“Oh… Oh my...” Rin slowly backs away, unable to handle the growing conflict.

Even I’m not sure what to do. It looks like Dell wants to take the brunt for us. That, or he’s just really itching to take his anger out on someone. Either way, it leaves me looking like a wimp. Not that I could fight with my injuries, anyway… While the two hurl insults at each other back and forth, with Miku occasionally voicing her frustrations, I’m taken out of the moment by a light tap on my arm.

“Hey...” Gakupo hisses, grabbing my attention. Literally. He wraps a hand around my wrist and carefully pulls me aside, away from the heat of the argument.

“Huh? What is it?” I quietly ask. I don’t know why we’re whispering but I guess I’ll go along with it. Those three are lost in their argument, still going on and on about petty matters, whereas Rin is cowering in the corner somewhere. Gakupo leads me a good distance away from the whole thing, and no one notices that we’ve slipped away.

“I… I really didn’t feel like getting my head ripped off by Neru-san or Dell-san, so I turned to you instead,” Gakupo chuckles. “Now, you have to promise not to freak out. No yelling, no panic. Okay?”

“O...kay?” See, now I’m curious. And not gonna lie, I will totally freak out regardless.

“Okay,” he repeats a final time, taking in a light breath, and with a slight shake in his movements, he extends a finger out to point to somewhere in the dark distance.

“Um...” I squint my eyes, attempting to follow along where he’s pointing. It’s a bit of a lost cause at first, since it’s way out at the back of campus, past the tents and across a stretch of nothing but trees and grass. Basically a dead-end where there’s barely any light. “I don’t...” But then, it clicks into place like the last piece of a puzzle. Once I see it, it’s incredibly difficult to overlook. There’s a faint red light right next to the trees. Not just one light… But what appears to be a gathering of something. My blood runs cold the second I recall the library.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Gakupo says, quickly hushing me. “Don’t freak out. But… This might be real.”

I slowly shake my head, refusing to believe in such an absurd thing. I ran away from giving a solid answer in the library. I avoided it because it had been easy to brush off as a prank. I mean… Who the fuck wants to accept the responsibility of saving an entire planet? Or even worse, the whole world? No, that bullshit can’t be real, it can’t…! I can feel the panic welling up in my chest, as though someone’s inflating a balloon so much that it’s close to bursting. But it doesn’t burst, and it causes a terrible friction and uncomfortable sensation within.

“Kaito-san?” Gakupo repeats my name in the darkness, and it snaps me back to reality.

“Gakupo… Please tell me this is a dream,” I whisper in a weak tone.

“Don’t panic. You suggested it was a prank, remember?” Ah… I did, didn’t I? I’m glad he reminds me of that. Although with everything else that’s been going on… My mind is racing again. “Seems like the work of our good buddies… They might be playing a nasty trick on Gumi-chan and Len-san. We have to go put an end to it.”

“Shit,” I hiss. Those four girls with the weird necklaces… “Th-That’s right. They locked us in the library, maybe they did the same to Gumi-san and Len-san, except in a different location.” Still doesn’t explain the earthquake and the voices. Ugh. One thing at a time, right?

Wordlessly, Gakupo nods in agreement. He urges me to follow him, and for some stupid reason, I accept. Well, I already avoided the library situation. Now is my chance to redeem myself. I hope I didn’t judge Len too quickly. These girls might be the ones behind it after all.

Careful to avoid making too much noise, and being as light-footed as possible, Gakupo and I tiptoe closer to the source of the lights. I can’t help but shake the gut feeling that we’re walking into another trap. They must know that at least _someone_ will investigate these bright red lights. Just have to watch our step, and we’ll be fine.

It doesn’t take long to cross a patch of grass, edging closer to the trees near the back of the campus. The darkness swallows up the lights from the music event behind us, but the brand new light before us guides us. Conveniently, there are some bushes spread around the area, so once we’re nearing their line of sight, Gakupo pulls me down alongside him to crouch and watch from over the hedge.

“I know you’ll be sore, but… Just try not to focus on it.” Great advice, thanks Gakupo.

Gritting my teeth together, I force a pained smile and poke my head over the bush. The red light is so strong that it exposes their shadows, yet from our perspective, that’s the best we’ll be getting. I can’t see their faces, but I know their general shapes. Besides, no other students wear glowing gems.

The girls are gathered in a circle, holding their gems together like some sort of weird sacrificial ritual or something. Fuck, even if this is an elaborate prank, this is undeniably creepy… Especially with the darkness closing in on us. The only thing I can hear is the whistle of the wind, and since we’re not so far away from the girls, there’s even an almost inaudible humming coming from their necklaces.

“What the ever-loving fuck are they doing?” Gakupo hisses, sticking his head over the bush just enough to see some of their movements.

“The tremors were at their strongest here,” one of the girls speak up. From the serious, mature tone to her voice alone, I can tell it’s either Xingchen or Merli.

Gakupo and I immediately exchange glances when ‘tremors’ are mentioned.

“D-Does that mean the book was right after all…?” I recognise that timid voice. It belongs to the blue-haired one, Una. I know that for certain. But that’s interesting… A book? There’s too many similarities between the library and this situation. I really hope this is a sick joke.

“Don’t be scared. If there are any traces of energy, it’s of no threat to us,” another girl answers. She doesn’t sound as mature as Xingchen or Merli; it’s rather a mix of sweetness yet slightly stern, so it must be Aoki.

“But… Didn’t the book say there could be recent traces…?” Una questions Aoki’s knowledge.

There is silence for a short time. They’re saying the exact same thing that’s been brought up in the library. “I...” I flick my glance to Gakupo, but it’s hard to read his expression with it being so dark back here.

“That tremor was nowhere near strong enough to have been a recent burst of energy.” That voice comes from Xingchen, I think. It’s hard to differentiate between her and Merli, especially since I’m not on familiar terms with the girls. She speaks in Aoki’s place regardless, and she apparently knows her stuff. I mean that lightly, obviously.

“Shh, shh.” A sudden hush comes from one of the girls. The tear-drop gem drops down from being held up. I recall that belonging to Aoki. It shakes, the light it’s releasing vibrating ever so slightly as she spins from left to right. “Did you hear that? Someone is here.”

I draw in a deep breath, instantly disguising my presence. I slowly trail my glance over to Gakupo, who’s doing the exact same. There’s no way they heard either of us. We’ve been breathing, sure, but not that loudly… And we’ve barely moved.

“Th-The gems are flashing slightly!” Merli squeaks, drawing the others’ attention to the gems, including mine and Gakupo’s attention. The red light is indeed flashing, but not at too much of a fast pace.

“My, my… What have we here?”

I struggle to keep my breath held in at the sudden eerie, unrecognisable voice coming from somewhere off to the right. Gasping for air, my heart sinks in my chest; I clamp a palm over my mouth.

“Kaito-kun...” Gakupo mutters, gripping hold of my wrist, as we continue to kneel behind the bush. Somehow, I’m able to understand what that single gesture means. If things get ugly, we have to sneak away together.

“Who’s there?!” Xingchen roars out fearlessly into the unknown, which is quite startling.

“You girls have been messing with things you don’t understand for far too long… Heh...” A hiss of a snicker echoes out across the area. With that one spine-tingling laugh, I swear I can feel a light shake under my feet.

Oh, no. This is… this is serious, isn’t it…?

“Show yourself, coward!” Again, Xingchen takes charge and demands that the voice belonging to a strange young male show himself.

“Xingchen...” The growing urgency in Una’s voice grips her friend’s attention once more, and that’s when I notice the flashing has picked up the pace.

“We have to leave. Now,” Aoki orders.

“We can’t leave now, fool!” Merli lashes back. “We’re the ones who found these gems and these books, so we’re the ones who have a duty to face whatever evil comes alongside them, to protect the innocents here!” Even though she wants to be brave, her voice wavers ever so slightly. She’s hiding her anxiety with anger.

“You should listen to your sister, little girl...” The voice mocks Merli.

“I-I agree, we should go!” Una whimpers.

Gakupo tightens his grip on my wrist, sending me a single nod, to signify that we should also take our leave. Even so, it really sounds like those girls are in trouble…

Stupidly, I shake my head and pull myself up from behind the bush. “Hey, you girls really need to get out of here…! Let us take care of this creep!” Oh god, where did this sudden sense of leadership and bravery come from?

“H-Huh?!” The girls yelp out in unison, shining their gems toward me to see who I am.

Gakupo groans and pulls himself up as well, throwing his arms up to show we mean no harm. “Moron,” he grunts to me, before facing the four.

“Y-You… Kaito-san?” Xingchen is bewildered at our unwanted appearance. “It’s not safe here. You must leave it to us.”

“Hmm… An interesting twist of events,” the voice rings out, in a sing-song tone, and this time it sounds like it’s coming from somewhere to the left. I should be able to recognise that voice, but for the life of me, I can’t. “I was going to teach these girls a lesson, but it seems like you and your friends are overdue a punishment, too. Hehe.~”

What a fucking weirdo. “I dunno who this guy is, but I’m sure me and Gakupo can sort his shit out.”

“Oh, of course you can. I’m sooo scared. Hyahahaha!” A twisted, demonic cackle follows a line of fake anxiety; even though it’s only a voice, it feels as though it coils its way around my body, threatening to cut off my airways.

“Wh-What the…?” Gakupo clenches his fists, apparently also struggling with the strange sensation.

“I’ve waited so, _so_ long to get my revenge on you… And now that the time is here, it’s so sweet! Hyahahahahaha…!!” As the intensity of the voice’s cackling grows into unbridled insanity, those gut-wrenching tremors come back with a vengeance, although this time there’s no warning and no chance to hold onto something.

“Run, Kaito-san! Gakupo-san! We’ll… take care of it…!” Aoki cries out, again demanding that we leave… But it’s incredibly difficult to keep upright.

“G-Gakupo...” I make a reach for his hand, but my feet are wobbling all over the place. It’s impossible to catch him. My fingertips brush against his for the slightest moment, and while Aoki’s pleas of desperation turn into chilling, genuine screams of pain, I realise there’s nothing I can do. The voice’s laughter rings out repeatedly, taunting me, wrapping tighter and tighter around my chest… My vision grows blurry, and it’s a struggle to keep my already aching body standing.

Unable to take much more, terrified, my last thought is that while we felt these tremors, nobody else did. And then I realise… _Miku._ I lose control of my weakened body. My only view being the path beneath my feet trembling, rapidly coming closer and closer to my face, until it all goes black.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya girl comin' at you fast with them evil EVIL cliffhangers
> 
> this chapter is just packed full of angst and more questions than answers and i'm not even sorry ;)


	14. Chapter Thirteen - Heart of Ice: Trapped in Time

Sinking into a corner, the ultimate sour grimace slapped onto my face twisted further into misery. The thudding of music _way_ beyond the safe decibel level drilled deeper and deeper into my head, along with the screaming and insane amount of conversations dotted all over the place, until it all meshed together into an indecipherable blur.

“Yooooo, Kai-kuuuun!!” The obnoxious banshee screeches of an even more maddening tomboy snapped me out of that hellish flurry of sounds, but I’d have preferred to stay in that nightmare rather than deal with _her._

Tilting my head up, I caught sight of her foolishly propped on top of a precious glass coffee table. She waved her arms maniacally, and if this was anyone other than my best friend, I’d assume they were on some hardcore happy pills. That aside, how the fuck did she see me sulking in the corner like the antisocial being I am from all the way over there? I sent her the meanest glare I could muster, essentially telling her to leave me alone.

I despised parties like this. I knew I should’ve opted to stay with Miku. We would be cuddling together under a blanket right now, stuffing our faces with delicious pizza, with some lame romcom on in the background… But no, I let Clown 1 and Clown 2 drag me to this shitshow! Curse my weak soul!

“Come over here, you damn stick in the mud!” Neru was trying her hardest to convince me to participate in this mess. Nope.

I didn’t want to be held accountable when her parents eventually came home in the middle of this crap. Yeah, she was way dumb. Using her parents’ house to host a ‘totally kickass rave’ – her words, not mine – was something that never ended well. I had no idea who all these people crowding the living room and kitchen were, anyway. Seemed like she set up an event on social media, posting it to our school’s group and allowing anyone at all to attend. Skimming over how dangerous that was on its own, it was also incredibly weird. Some of these people looked like they were over 18, in fact way over 18. I wouldn’t be surprised if happy pills really were involved…

God damn it, how much alcohol had Neru consumed so far tonight? It had only been about an hour since the party started, and I was content pacing between different corners of the house. Neru, on the other hand, had been running back and forth to accommodate her guests with drinks, snacks and all that other stuff. While she was being rather helpful to them, she also got pulled in far too easily by them; they asked her to take shots with them, have a ‘celebratory birthday drink’ with them… The list went on.

She was stumbling about on top of the presumably super expensive table, laughing loudly while busting some embarrassing moves, grabbing the attention of many.

“Woooo! Lookin’ good!” They were all as out of it as she was, good lord.

“Heyyy, Kaito-kun… My main man!” Out of nowhere, I was greeted by my other best friend, dashing over to me with a paper cup in hand.

“Jesus fucking-…!” I could see all along that it was Dell coming over, but for the love of god, he just popped out of the shadows without any warning at all, almost sending me into an early grave. “Christ, man… Where the hell did you come from? Scared the shit out of me.” Clutching at my chest as I scold him for being a creeper, I let out a heavy sigh at the end.

“Huh? Oh, sorry about that...” He simply flashed a grin at me, like it wasn’t a huge deal. Sure, just ignore the large stain dripping down my leg.

“Ugh...” I groaned, slowly shaking my head. Let me guess, he came my way to pressure me into partying. “Don’t try and force me to join in this madness.”

As Dell threw an arm around me and slumped practically all his weight against me, I was met with the overpowering scent of alcohol, which immediately burned my nose and made my eyes all watery. “F-Fuck, dude!” I couldn’t help but splutter those words out, turning my head away for a moment to take in some slightly fresher air. I wasn’t used to this kind of thing at all. Sure, maybe I sneaked one or two beers once in a while. I liked the taste. But I always had a weak stomach when it came to the stench.

“It’s Neru-chan’s birthday, dude! You can’t spend the entire party stuck in this sad little corner,” he complained, a pout pulling at his lips. He eased up on smothering me, supporting his own weight a bit more, but he still kept an arm hung over my shoulder. “Come on. Just have one drink with me an’ her. Come socialise for like… fifteen minutes. Have some snacks. Then I promise, you can spend the rest of the night reading a book upstairs or something boring.”

I let out a huff, eyes rolling. “It sounds like you should cut down on the drinking, buddy. How much have you even had?” I was able to sort of guess how much Neru had taken in, but the most I saw of Dell earlier was him following Neru around with trays of snacks and drinks at different points in time.

“Eeehhh, maybe a little too much,” he casually shrugged, before finally releasing his grip on me to take a generous gulp of his drink.

Stumbling a couple steps back from him with a bitter glint in my eye, I thought about giving him an excuse. I didn’t mind drinking that much, if it was _only_ one. But the people at this party were driving me up the wall. They were far too loud for my liking. “Can we at least do it somewhere quiet?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Dell nodded, eyes lighting up in joy as I gave in.

“And I’m telling you now. It’s _just_ one drink!”

Burying my head into my knees, the gory splashing and splattering coming from the toilet just a few inches away from me was really starting to make my stomach turn. Grunting under my breath, I tried my best to drown out the foul noises, but it was no good. My mind was all hazy and the effects of all those fucking drinks Dell pressured me into chugging were only just wearing off.

“Uuuughhhh...” Those dying whale groans were coming from none other than Neru. The poor tomboy was currently releasing the contents of her already emptied guts into the bowl for about the third or fourth time tonight.

I wasn’t sure how I managed to endure the first two or three times. I was slumped over just by the bath, regretting all of my life choices up until now, while Dell held back Neru’s long golden hair. A flush followed a moment or so later, so I deemed it alright to finally lift my head back up. When I did, I stared over at Neru, deadpan.

Her face was pale, the corners of her mouth glistening in the most tactless manner ever with saliva; her mascara had blended in with her tears and smudged all down her cheeks. “Man… I feel like shit...”

“Any better, though?” Dell grumbled. He looked like he was desperately attempting to stop himself from throwing up at any moment, too. To distract himself, he played with Neru’s hair as she rested her cheek against the disgusting toilet. He gently tugged at her hair, tying it into a loose braid down her back.

“I… I think…?” Even she wasn’t sure. The lack of confidence in that wasn’t surprising in the least.

“You’re an… an idiot,” I piped up, lightly grasping at my forehead with my palm. Sweaty. Gross all over. My stomach lurched all over again as my brain went into auto-pilot for a split second, reliving the horrible sounds Neru came out with. Girl really didn’t hold back. “Nngh...” I took a deep breath, before swallowing hard.

“Shut up,” Neru murmured, her eyelids growing heavy.

“Don’t fall asleep on the toilet. That’s disgusting,” I lectured her, though there was no power left in my voice, so it came out more monotone than anything. “You know, you’re lucky your parents didn’t come home tonight...” Shifting a hand down, I tapped at the outside of my pockets until I found my phone. I slid it out and made a check for the time.

“No big deal,” Neru casually said, sort of lifting her arm to wave a hand in dismissal, but it only flopped back down a second later.

“Come on, let’s get you up...” Even Dell sounded exasperated. It was clear he held just as much regret as me and Neru. The two struggled for a moment, but Dell was able to lift Neru back to her feet. He walked her over to the sink, letting the water run before helping her wash up.

“Ugh.” It was just past 1am. Everyone else had cleared off about half an hour ago. The party died down once Neru projectile vomited into a bowl of candies and chocolates. We rushed her up to the bathroom just in time for her to reach the bowl after. I knew then and there that I’d never forget such a scarring sight. “I hope… I hope you remember we have to head back to school, like right now… And somehow sneak in _way_ past curfew.” This was exactly why I should’ve stayed with Miku, damn it.

“Geez, don’t fucking remind me, killjoy,” Neru scowled, before patting her face with a small towel. She then tossed it toward – and comically missed – the laundry basket.

“He’s right,” Dell softly sighed. “Anyone got some cash for a taxi?”

Neru sent her catty side-eye right my way. As if this was somehow my responsibility, after she ruined my chance at a normal night.

“No fuckin’ way!” I immediately snorted, slapping my palms off my knees in protest. “Nuh-uh. You’re the oldest, aren’t you?”

“I’m the one who puked the most, though,” she remarked.

“You two are the biggest tight-wads I’ve ever met,” Dell butted in, with a tut. He fished around in his pockets for a few moments before pulling out what should be enough for a ride. “Come on… Let’s get our shit for the train ride back.”

“Dell-kun, could you pretty please carry my travel bag for me?” Neru batted her lashes at the silver-haired boy, playing the sympathy card. As if she wasn’t the one who willingly gulped down stupid amounts of alcohol.

Like the sucker he was, he gladly accepted, telling Neru not to worry about it. Even though he probably felt like death itself.

Well, one thing was for sure. This would most certainly be a highlight in our teen years while looking back at this some day, when we’re all old and grey together. It made me shudder to think about, really. I couldn’t believe _this_ was how we were going to waste our golden years.

…

“Mmh...” A sleepy mumble passes my lips, transitioning from a dream that felt like it lasted forever, back into the real world. Shuffling lightly, I keep my eyes shut, not wanting to wake up just yet. “Hmm?” Another mumble escapes me, but it’s more of a curious one. Why is it so damn cold in my bedroom? I guess Dell didn’t bother to come back after the music event… Makes sense why the heater isn’t on… Still, the mornings have been breezy but warm lately, so the layer of cold air surrounding me sure is unpleasant.

A small frown pulls at my lips as I recall the dream I had. That crazy birthday party at the start of the week, before all this rivalry shit went down. How did things turn so ugly in just a few days? Grunting softly, I stretch myself out and roll onto my back without thinking. “Eh? Ow...” Maybe it’s just my injuries from yesterday… But my bed feels oddly hard on my back. Nothing like a cushiony mattress at all, but rather… “Ah!” The realisation hits me straight away. Going from half-asleep to wide awake in a split second, I push myself up from where I’m resting and I’m met by the sight of nothing but ice, spread out for miles and miles in front of me.

“Wh-What… what the… f-fuck…?!” I gasp, frantically spinning around to take in my surroundings, barely able to hiss out those words. It’s mostly due to the utter shock, but that slight cold tingle has turned into a full-on blast of vicious icy air, seeping into my skin and paralysing me for the longest time. I hug myself in a futile attempt to warm up, but there is literally nothing except ice, ice and more ice all around me…!

Not just thin layers. Thick, solid, probably penetrates deep into the ground, with no dirt paths or grass in sight. Each shaky breath I take forces me to inhale more and more of that cold air, and a rush of dizziness passes over me.

“Sh-Shit…!” I lose my footing straight away, and I buckle, throwing my hands out in front of me to catch myself. My palms take most of the weight of my fall, but as soon as they make contact with the ice, a burning sensation travels up my arms. “Fuck!” I can’t help but curse as a reflex, yanking my palms off the icy ground. It reminds me of being a kid, going outside without any gloves on and being dumb enough to scoop up a huge handful of snow, except maybe about ten times more agonising. I’m able to shuffle myself onto my knees, but of course, even my current thin clothes are no match for combating the terrible stinging ice.

“I… I don’t...” This can’t be the school. It can’t be Oak Valley High. Unable to rationalise it at all, I trail my eyes over the scenery again, slower this time. Maybe it’s a dream. Shit, think Kaito. What on earth happened last night, before the music event? I was searching for Gumi with Gakupo… They’re nowhere to be seen here. How did I end up all alone?

In the distance, somewhere to the far east, I can just make out the edges of a gigantic, sparkling structure of some sort. Tilting my head back, I turn my focus to the sky. Okay, it’s daytime. At least I think so. It’s hard to tell if it’s morning or noon, or even later. There’s one sun in the sky. That’s a good start. Means I’m not on some freakish alien planet or something… Releasing a shaky breath, I hug myself again, watching the cloud-like puff of air form and disappear in front of my face. I rub my arms as vigorously as I can, hoping I’ll be able to feel _some_ warmth. Any. I’m going to freeze to death here if I can’t figure something out…!

Screwing my eyes tightly shut, the icy air begins to close in on me once more. It gently wraps itself around my body, letting me know there’s nothing here except for me and the barren land. That I should accept the numbing embrace and let my worries sink away. I don’t want to give in… But what other choice do I have…?

“...-san…! Kaito-san…!”

“H-Huh…?” Just before that chilling air wraps itself too tightly around my throat, I swear I hear someone calling my name. Reluctantly fluttering my eyes open, a teardrop gently splashes onto the ground beneath me.

“Kaito-san!!” That desperate cry comes closer.

Slowly, I lift my head. A figure is running toward me, and I’m left stunned at the sight. It’s impossible. I’m the only one here, aren’t I? As they start to come into view, I’m able to see more and more of them. A girl is slipping all over the place as she makes a beeline my way; almost tripping and falling flat onto her face, but catching herself just before that happens. She finally comes into view. “H-Holy hell, Rin-san?” I call out, wondering what on earth she’s doing in this unknown place with me.

“Haah… Hah…! I-I… m-made it…!” She comes to a halt at last, a few inches away from my pathetic self still kneeling on the ground, noticeably out of breath. Even though she slams the brakes on, she still skids forward a couple of paces without meaning to. “W-Whoa!” She sucks in a sharp gasp, throwing her arms outward to skilfully rebalance herself in the blink of an eye.

I’m honestly at a loss for words. Just when I think I can’t be surprised any more… So many things just keep taking the cake, dangit. “Are you… are you okay?” That’s all I can ask. She must have been pretty scared if she’s been alone up until now.

She bends down to my level, awkwardly squatting to take in deep breaths. Her skirt sort of flaps along with the wind. Puffing her cheeks out, she straightens her skirt the best she can. “I’m not sure,” she answers, with a crushing dose of honesty. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just… started walking. Kept going until I found something. I’m so glad I found someone I know.”

It’s a little odd to hear that from her, considering we didn’t exactly get along or even talk much during the Talent Trials, but at least now I know I’m able to trust her. Besides, if she hadn’t come along, I’d have eventually succumbed to the clutches of the ice. “I thought I was here all alone,” I mutter. “I don’t even know where _here_ is. Do you remember how you got here?”

Clasping her hands together, she raises them to her mouth and blows over them, while shaking her head. Her fingers are bright red, knuckles whitening from the slightest bend. She’s worse off than me in terms of clothing… Just a simple top with short sleeves, a skirt, socks that don’t even come up to her knees, and a thin summer jacket thrown over her shoulders. But at this point, it’s starting to slide off her shoulders. “All I remember is… the way Dell-san and Neru-chan were arguing earlier…”

When she says that, I recall a fragment of that memory. It’s not exactly the best memory though, so I quickly push it aside in my mind, lowering my eyes for a moment. The argument… That’s right. “I sort of remember. Gakupo pulled me away from it, because he’d caught sight of something disturbing at the back end of the campus.”

“I… I didn’t even notice you two were gone,” she sheepishly giggles, dropping her arms and sliding them around her waist. “You should’ve told us, though. After those weird earthquakes, I wished we all stayed together.” A light frown pulls at the corner of her lips.

I almost forgot the vulnerable state Rin had been in last night. At least, I think it’s last night. Her brother had gone missing, along with Gumi. Perhaps it was best to stay together after all, but as usual, I couldn’t think straight. “So much weird shit has happened. I’m exhausted,” I sigh. As I say that, a small yawn slips out. Maybe it’s the extreme cold making me sleepy.

“I know, but we should try to find a way out of here first… Or at least some sort of shelter,” she says, and she makes a good point. We can’t spend ages here going back and forth explaining events that have happened these past few days.

“Yeah...” I give a single nod. Can’t give in. I had been ready to throw in the towel, but knowing Rin is by my side… A lump forms at the back of my throat as I realise something else. “So… Things are bad enough already, right…? I really hate to make it worse, but if I’m here and you’re here...”

Rin’s eyes slowly widen. There’s definitely a stunned glint reflecting in those blue orbs of hers. I don’t even need to finish my sentence. She understands what I mean. “Wh-What if they’re-?”

“They’ll be fine,” I rudely interrupt her, a certain harshness to my words, without really thinking. I simply can’t bear the thought of Miku lying somewhere out here, knocked out and left victim to this cursed ice. No, Miku is stronger than that. Knowing her, she’ll have found shelter already. And I think I know where that shelter is. Turning my head, I trail my glance over to that towering structure in the distance. “See that?”

Rin lightly gulps, mimicking my movement and darting her eyes about to find what I’m referring to. “O-Oh...” It doesn’t take her long. After all, it’s kind of hard to miss. With the way the sun bounces off the top of the deadly beautiful ice, the glittering effect it produces sticks out like a sore thumb.

“It’s our only chance at shelter,” I continue. Who knows though, really… Maybe I’m delusional. Lying to myself in order to feel better. Giving myself hope that we have a chance of surviving this nightmare. Clenching my teeth together, I shuffle myself a little in preparation, before forcing myself to my feet. It hurts like hell, but I can’t wimp out and stay here forever.

“Right...” With a nod in affirmation, Rin hops up effortlessly. I guess it’s easier for her, since she’s been supporting herself with just her feet the entire time and not actually kneeling… While she seems steady on the ice, it’s a lot more difficult for me.

I don’t think I’ve ever been ice skating. Sure, a bit of snow is fine, but I’ve always stayed indoors during winter. If I absolutely _must_ go out when it’s been snowing, I end up slipping and sliding all over. “Ugh,” I mutter under my breath, firmly planting a foot forward, twisting the bottom of my shoe against the ice as a sort of test.

“Everything okay, Kaito-san?” Rin smiles at me, twirling around from her position, already having a decent head-start on me. There’s a lot I’ve yet to learn about this Kagamine girl, apparently. “Oh… You’re not still sore, are you?” She notices the way I wobble my legs practically like a chicken, too pussy to take even a single step.

“Well, yes. But I also hate ice and snow,” I nervously chuckle. If I shift my other foot forward to make a whole step, I fear I’ll topple back over onto my butt.

“Ah…” She scratches at the back of her head, pondering how to deal with my incompetence and childish fears. She carefully trots over to me, before sticking her arm out for me to grab. “Wanna hold onto me? I’ll make sure you won’t fall over.”

I can’t get over how kind this girl is. Without a second thought, I take hold of her arm, linking mine through hers. I try not to grip onto her too tightly, though. “Th-Thanks, you’re a lifesaver.” My teeth are starting to chatter, messing up my words.

“You really don’t like ice and snow?” Rin lightens the mood a bit as we start to walk together.

“Nah… Hate it. It’s all slippery. And snow just gets your clothes all soggy, not to mention the way it stings your hands...”

While I begin to rant and list off silly reasons why I dislike snow, Rin simply giggles along with me, and makes it her goal to change my mind by the time we reach the structure in the distance.

…

Tilting my head so far back that it starts to strain my neck a little, I stare up at the gorgeous, glistening structure that is a _lot_ bigger than I anticipated. Even gawking up at it like this with a pain in my neck is barely enough to get the full view. My jaw drops ever so slightly, lips parted in awe. Thick layers of ice have wrapped their way around the entirety of the structure, and despite there probably being remnants of the walls beneath all that, it’s likely the only thing supporting the building at this point. I can’t imagine the inner walls being in decent shape any more. I also can’t even begin to fathom how something as simple as ice can be _that_ strong. Then again, I have no idea how long this building has been left victim to the cold.

“Is this… some sort of dream?” Rin quietly pipes up from beside me, breaking the silence at last.

“Maybe,” I give an awkward shrug. It’s not every day a couple of bratty teenagers like us stumble upon what can only be a castle of some sort. Or a mansion, maybe? Whatever it is, it’s amazing, and I’m left speechless. Narrowing my eyes, I’m able to catch sight of a heavy blanket of untouched snow draping over the roof. There are several snow-topped mountains spread out in the distance behind the building. I guess the ice paths only go so far… Well, we’re still stood on ice; I’m still clinging onto Rin for dear life, but…

The doors are right in front of our eyes. Sparkling softly in the lowering sun, beckoning us to step forward and enter. A chill tickles my back. I’m not sure if it’s the cold or a genuinely unnerved sensation. This place feels like it holds many memories, ones Rin and I may not be ready to uncover. Fragments of the night of the music festival flicker in my mind. It’s that same sort of uneasy feeling that I’ve had all week.

“Well… Do you think we should enter?” Rin asks the obvious question. As obvious as it is, I’m not sure of the answer. Logically, it’d be the best thing to do, so we can get out of the cold. Maybe. It should be at least a little more bearable inside.

“I guess we don’t have a choice,” I mutter, with a light shrug. I hate being the one having to make decisions. Rin pulls her arm from my grip, taking a step forward and pressing her fingertips lightly against the shimmering doors covered in more ice. I sort of stumble as she lets go of me, balancing on the slippery ground the best I can unattended. I know for a fact I won’t be able to open those doors myself, so looks like it’s up to her.

“Wow,” she whispers in awe, shifting her hand to rest her entire palm against the solid surface. “It’s cold.” She giggles softly, looking over her shoulder at me.

“Will it budge?” I raise a brow. That’s the most important part here.

“Mmh...” She lowers her fingers to the outline of where there should be some doorhandles, or perhaps they’re knockers. Whatever they are, I’m sure the metal is underneath that thick layer of ice somewhere, but all that remains is a fragment of what it should be. Exerting a bit more strength, she pushes with all her might against one side of the two doors, but there’s no sign of movement.

A soft huff passes my lips. “Should’ve known,” I say. “It’ll be stuck together. It’s gonna be near impossible to-”

“Wah!” My words of pessimism are cut short when Rin is thrown forward out of nowhere, letting out a squeak and falling through the door that apparently decided to unstick itself abruptly in that moment. She tumbles, flailing her arms in front of her, but catching herself just before she plops to her knees – I try my best to make a move to help her, but one little slip on the ice, and I’m straight on my backside, too.

“Shit, sorry-! Are you okay?!” I look up to the girl, whose back is still turned to me. One of the doors to the castle is wide open now, at least…

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine!” She calls over her shoulder, leaning over to catch her breath for a moment. “Just got a bit of a fright. Didn’t expect it to open like that!”

“Yeah, me neither...” I grumble, pressing my palms against the ground the best I can, before slowly picking myself up.

“Woah, Kaito-san…! This place is…!” Rin’s words trail off as she takes a few steps further inside, full of awe and admiration.

Well, the doors are only a few steps ahead of me… I can do this! Gritting my teeth together lightly, I tiptoe forward and make a grab for the edge of the other door that’s still closed to balance myself. I poke my head around it, narrowing my eyes and immediately being met with the sight of a magnificent hall, and find myself at a loss for words just like Rin is.

She spins on her heels to face me, a big grin slapped across her features. “This is great! We’ll be able to get some shelter here!” I’m a little unsettled by her enthusiasm, considering we’re still fucked, shelter or not.

“I-I guess so?” Still gripping the edge of the door, I take it one step at a time and press a foot to the hard marble floor, and the difference between slippery and safe is instantly noticeable. I let out a quiet sigh in relief, relaxing my tense shoulders and making the final step inside the building. I scan my eyes over the huge main entrance hall, turning my head slowly from right to left. The tall white walls catch my attention first, and then my eyes are dragged over to the golden outlines just above. Something about this feels oddly familiar, but I’m not sure what. Trailing my glance up, following the splashes of fading yet beautiful gold, I tilt my head back to try and take in the entirety of the place.

“Woah…! Are those chandeliers hanging from the ceiling?” Rin pipes up before I get a chance to mention them, pointing up with widened eyes. She’s right. They’re at the very top floor, or at least that’s what it looks like from here; the crystals hang still, reflecting the shining gold of the walls. They look like they’ve been here for years, yet I can barely make out any dust… “And look, there’s the staircase.”

I follow her pointing finger with my curious eyes, taking in the sight of a sizeable white marble staircase over on the left side of the hall. They sort of spiral around to a walkway a good distance off the ground floor here, and a little further around, there’s another set of stairs. They lead to the second walkway, which is closer to the chandeliers. Being able to fit two whole walkways that lead into so many different rooms is insane. I can’t even begin to imagine how much this would cost to build.

“Are you okay, Kaito-san?”

Actually, this is a lot to take in. That troubled expression pulling at my face must be a lot more troubled and obvious than I thought, though. Rin calls my name, snapping me out of fascination. Blinking a few times, I pull my eyes from the top floor, looking down to the girl now standing in front of me. “Uh… Yeah. It’s just amazing, isn’t it?” I know why this feels so familiar now. That one dream I had a little while ago… It’s not like I can tell her about that. She’ll either think I’m a liar or straight up nuts.

“Mhm,” she smiles softly, in agreement. “Well, this looks like a castle of some sort. Perhaps an ancient royal palace?” Her suggestion should be absurd. There’s no way we could’ve ended up trapped in some forgotten about castle. But it isn’t absurd at all. I’m no genius on this kind of royal stuff, but with the amount of princess books and illustrations Miku has picked up and forced me to read with her… There’s no mistaking it.

“I don’t understand,” I huff under my breath, folding my arms over my chest to warm myself up a little bit. A short distance in front of us, there’s some more large doors, only these ones aren’t covered in ice. That has to be… God, I feel sick.

“Oh, what do you think is behind here?” Rin must’ve traced my deadpan stare over to the doors. “Should we take a look?”

“No, we should… Uh...” I squint my eyes, trying to think of what to answer with. I can’t focus properly. I barely even heard her asking that, damn it... I’m too busy making an attempt at piecing all this crazy shit together. Okay, think about it later. Right now we have to prevent freezing to death. “Ah, look. Up ahead.” I gesture past the staircase; there’s a small gap underneath the arch of the walkway that we should be able to pass under. It looks like it slopes downwards and leads to a corner of the castle. Maybe it’ll lead us a floor down. We should be warmer slightly underground, right? Who knows.

Rin checks it out for a moment, before giving a nod. “Good find. Let’s go.”

I can only hope this leads to something where there’s a fireplace or some other thing that's warm and cozy. I mean, I have no idea how we’ll even light a fireplace in this nightmarish place… But… Damn it. We begin to make our way down anyway. It’s probably not a good idea to search the upper floors. If this really is a royal palace, it’ll likely only lead to the abandoned bedrooms of royalty and other fancy rooms that’ll be of no use to us. So there’s no other choice but to head down into the heart of ice itself.

…


	15. Chapter Fourteen - Forgotten Bonds

“Neru-chan, take it easy, would ya? You’re injured, stop trying to fight me and let me help you!”

“I never asked for your help, so back off, Honne!”

Oh, dear. In the distance, faint echoes of two unfortunately familiar voices ring out from somewhere below me and Rin. They don’t sound friendly at all. I exchange concerned glances with the Kagamine girl, letting out a silent sigh.

“Well, that’s just too bad. Fate stupidly stuck us together during this mess, and while I hate it as much as you, please give your raging ego a rest for one second and let me wrap this around your arm!”

The walkway we’re on winds around a corner, taking us deeper down into the palace. For a moment, I contemplate turning back around and finding somewhere else to get shelter. I don’t think I can deal with Neru and Dell bickering… Not at a time like this.

“At least Neru-chan and Dell-san are safe,” Rin offers words of positivity, with a small, sweet giggle.

“Yeah, sure,” I mutter. “Until they rip each other’s heads off.”

As we head further down, we’re taken into a dim, cramped hallway. I allow Rin to go first, since there’s no longer enough room for us to walk side by side. This palace certainly is built oddly. Then again, I don’t really know what a palace is _supposed_ to be built like. Still, it feels odd. What’s with the weird stuffy hallway that barely allows any room to breathe? Good thing I don’t have claustrophobia.

Rin and I squeeze down the best we can. She’s a small girl, so I presume she doesn’t have to suck in her gut like the chubby blob I am. I really should eat a better diet that doesn’t consist of cake, baked goods, and pizza, if I ever get out of here alive. “Hnngh,” I grimace, finding that it’s becoming narrower near the middle. This hallway could go on forever. There’s no telling. I can’t make out an ending, but what I can hear is Neru and Dell’s arguing growing louder. That must mean they’re at the end of this hall, right…?

“Hey, keep your hands to yourself. Don’t even _think_ about-!”

Uh oh. I can’t hear much other than shouting the first time, but not even a second after Dell spits out those demanding words, a light smack noise follows. I can’t help but cringe, my face twisting in discomfort.

“We better- hnngh… h-hurry, before they kill each other…!” Rin’s probably only being dramatic for comedic effect, to lighten the tone or something, but honestly, I wouldn’t put it past those two. She picks up the pace in front of me, and while I’d like to follow her, I _really_ can’t.

“I already warned you to stay away from me!” Neru growls in a dark tone, one which is unpleasant to hear, to say the least.

“Alright! Break it up, right now!” Rin hoists herself forward, apparently coming to the end of the hallway. Neru and Dell must be in the room at the very end of this. She squishes her way out of the constricting walls, and her appearance causes the two of them, unaware of our presence, to let out a synchronised fearful screech.

“Waaaahhhh!! R-R-Rin-chan!” Despite being a stammering, anxiety-riddled mess, Neru pounces on the other girl, tightly wrapping her arms around her.

As Rin is almost thrown to the floor, I’m able to get a better view of the room as I come to the end of that awful hallway. It’s a… library? It’s almost as dark as that one back at school, except there’s a dim glow in the centre. I’m able to see the outlines of towering bookshelves, pedestals and pretty much anything else I’d expect to see in a library. I can also sort of make out the scent of burning paper.

“I… I’m okay, I’m okay…!” Rin struggles to push back against Neru, who must be damn near suffocating the poor girl.

At the very least, I’m glad that Neru and Dell are conscious and relatively unharmed. Dell’s eyes meet mine, and for what feels like the longest time, he glares over at me. His eyes pierce right through me, which causes an uncomfortable sensation to bubble in the pit of my stomach. This is incredibly awkward. I need to try and make things right with him. Not sure what I did wrong, so I’ve no idea where to begin in fixing things, but...

“A-Ah… Neru-chan, you’re bleeding...” Rin softly gasps. After finally pulling away from the tomboy’s death grip, she points out the dark crimson patch on her sleeve.

“Oh, this?” Neru lifts her arm up, looks at the stain, and gives a simple shrug as though it’s not a big deal. “I’m fine, really. I woke up with my arm like this. I think the ice out there must’ve caught me.”

Damn. I had no idea ice could harm someone like that. All the more reason for me to despise snow and all things cold.

Rin blinks a few times, taken by surprise at learning a new fact. “O-Oh… wow...”

“Tch,” Dell quietly scoffs, plopping himself onto the floor, right in front of the makeshift fire the two of them probably set up together. “Yeah, I tried to put some pressure on it to stop the bleeding, but _somebody_ wouldn’t let me.” He speaks bitterly with his back turned away from us.

Neru spins on her heels, grunting under her breath, agitation flaring up once more. “You’re not my fucking mom, it’s not your place to look after me like I’m some sort of baby!” She snaps at him with the fury of a thunderstorm, or… something like that. Perhaps ice-storm would be a better example. Hey, it’s not my fault my brain has been frozen over…!

He decides not to retaliate her anger. Instead, he just leans forward, scooting closer to the fire and extending his hands out to catch some warmth.

“W-Well, he… kind of has a point,” Rin shyly pipes up. When met with Neru’s questioning glare, she backs down without a second thought. Geez.

“I see how it is...” I mumble. Oops, did I say that out loud?

Neru and Rin turn their gazes to me; naturally, Neru is giving more of a ‘what the fuck did you just say?’ stare.

“What do you mean, Kaito-san?” Rin speaks before Neru can bark some more at me.

“Aha, I just...” Well, it’s obvious that we all ended up in this place together. We have to rely on each other if we ever want to get out, yet Dell and Neru are acting like nothing has changed. That they can argue and get on each other’s nerves without consequence. Fuck it, I can’t be shy or hesitant to say what I want to say.

Shaking my head lightly, I look directly at Neru. “You’re being incredibly selfish right now.”

Neru’s eye twitches ever so slightly. “Excuse me?” I’ve dared to challenge the almighty Neru Akita. Pfft, give me a break… She doesn’t raise her voice at me, but I get the feeling I’m treading on thin ice right now. Wait, I need to stop thinking of similes about ice…!

“You are, too, Dell-kun.” I make sure to include him in this.

He doesn’t bother to face me. “So sue me.”

Sucking in a deep breath, I remain composed. Can’t sink to their level. “You realise we’re trapped here, right?” Dell said the exact same thing earlier, or at least to that effect. He tried to convince Neru to work as part of a team, but he gave up easily. Well, I sure as hell ain’t gonna pussy out like that.

“Way to rub it in,” Rin pulls a pouty face, lowering her eyes. Ouch.

“Our only chance of getting outta here is working together. Yet you two just want to keep arguing like bratty children, rather than snapping out of it and trying to come up with an escape plan.” I continue on, darting my glance from Neru to Dell’s back.

“Yeah? Who cares. How does that make me selfish?” Neru scoffs, folding her arms over her chest. She sticks her chin out, confidence unwavering as always.

“Because as usual, you’re only worried about yourself,” I retort. “How do you expect to get out of here if you can’t put aside your petty fighting? What, do you plan on bickering back and forth until you both freeze to death?”

“W-Well…!” Neru’s eyes widen slightly at that. She straightens her posture out, lowering her arms from her chest rather fast.

“Ugh...” Dell huffs, retracting his hands from the fire.

“Rin-san and I can’t come up with a plan all on our own. And what if the two of us never even showed up? If it was just the two of you?” I press the point further, wanting to drill it into their thick heads that this falling out of theirs has to come to an end, at least for now.

“Kaito-san is right...” Rin comes to my aid, clenching a determined fist at her side. “I-I didn’t want to get involved because it’s not my place… Plus I feel like this is all my fault to begin with… But...” There’s a solemn expression on her face. Maybe I’ve been wrong about her all along.

“Of course it’s not your fault!” Neru is quick to reassure her new friend. She reaches out a hand to rest on Rin’s shoulder. “Certain people are jealous that I get along so well with you and your other friends, that’s all.”

“Ugh…!” I’m definitely thrown off by her lack of awareness, even after all I said.

Dell pulls himself up from the floor, releasing a heavy sigh before turning around to face us, at last. “You’re right. Maybe I was jealous,” he admits, and for a moment, I think we’re making progress. Of course, he shatters that in the space of like, three seconds. “But _you_ were a shitty friend for ignoring how the rest of us felt.” He sneers at the tomboy.

Neru rips her hand a little too hard from Rin, causing the poor Kagamine girl to wobble a little. She gets all up in Dell’s face once more, and the arguing begins.

“Seriously?” I scowl under my breath, narrowing my eyes at the pair. Can’t these two give it a rest already? How are they not tired of this by now?

“It’s okay… I’m glad you tried at least,” Rin reassures me the best she can, with a comforting pat to the back. Although, it feels more patronising than anything else, despite not meaning to.

“And maybe if you didn’t-! W-Whoa...”

My attention is almost instantly brought back to the couple arguing, at the sound of feet stomping and squeaking against the floor, along with the sight of Neru who appears to be incapacitated out of nowhere.

“N-Neru-chan!?” Dell sharply gasps, trying his best to hold up and support the girl weak at the knees. Sweat forms at his forehead, made apparent by the soft glow of the fire beside them. She slumps against his body, breathing shallow.

“Fuck…!” I rush to her side, wondering exactly how I should help. Rin follows straight after, and while I wrap one of Neru’s arms around my shoulder to take some of the weight off Dell, the Kagamine girl is at a loss on what to do.

“I… I feel… dizzy,” she hisses, pressing her head into the male’s chest, and screwing her eyes shut.

“It must be the cold… plus her arm injury,” Rin suggests, stood at Dell’s side. I’m not sure what makes her the expert all of a sudden, but shit, it’s the best guess we have.

“Let’s move her closer to the fire,” I say, taking charge in the stressful situation. Dell is a shaky mess himself; he’s staring down at Neru with nothing but a dull glimmer of fear and guilt in his orbs. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t hear a single thing I say. “Dell-kun!” I hate to be harsh, but I snap an order at him to bring him back to reality.

“R-Right…!” He nods once, taking hold of Neru with all the strength he can muster. It’s hard for me, too. This girl isn’t exactly light, and I’m still stinging from my own injuries.

Dell and I drag her close to the fire, gently lowering her down onto the floor. Bending my knees, I suck in a pained breath, setting her down as though she were a rag-doll, practically lifeless, skin pale. I do wonder what really could’ve brought this on.

“I’ve got her, Kaito-kun...” Dell insists he takes full responsibility of her. He’s so stubborn.

With a sigh, I slowly pull her arm from around my back. She crumples the second I let her go, falling with a soft ‘plop’ into Dell’s lap. Her head lands on his legs, her body sort of sprawled out. Her eyes must’ve slipped shut a short while ago. It looks like she’s a peaceful kitty sleeping on her owner right now. All that rage from before has melted away completely.

“Neru-chan...” Dell whispers to her, shifting some stray golden locks out of her exhausted, crinkled face. He shuffles on his knees, probably to get a bit more comfortable, and holds the girl closer. He slides an arm around her waist, falling silent.

“Shit,” I mutter. My heart is still racing from how quickly that all went down. “What now…?” I wrap my arms around myself, shuddering. I can feel a strange chill in the air. Maybe it’s just my nerves. Besides all that, seeing Neru in that state… It makes my stomach turn. I can’t help but think about Miku. What if she ends up the same way? No, I can’t think like that...

“I don’t think there’s much we can do now,” Rin quietly admits. I hope Dell can’t hear this. As much as I want her to be wrong, part of me knows it’s true. Damn it, I hate feeling so hopeless, so powerless… There has to be something…! “I hope everyone else shows up soon, though. I… I want us to be together, at the very least...”

As cynical as it may seem, I agree with her. I’d hate to be alone when we inevitably freeze to death. But still, there’s a fragment of hope nagging away at me in a corner of my mind. It’s starting to get a little too stuffy in here. It’s strange, since a moment ago I had felt that weird chill; plus I should be half-frozen like a chunk of ice, but something feels off about the atmosphere all of a sudden. I think it’s something like the dizzying sensation that overwhelmed Neru just now, and part of me knows I need to take a breath of fresh air. “I’m going to go look for the others.”

“H-Huh?” Rin blinks rapidly at that, clearly thrown off by the fact I changed my mind. “I… I’ll go with you...” She takes a step toward me when I move over to the entrance of that narrow hallway.

“It’s okay. I’ll only be a few minutes,” I respond. It’s best she stays here in the warmth. “I’m going to scan the main entrance and come straight back.” Well, maybe not _straight_ back. Curiosity is getting the better of me. This place is so mysterious, I can’t help but want to explore some of it. Also, it’s really becoming unbearable in here.

“...okay.” There’s something oddly bitter about the way that single word comes from Rin’s mouth. I decide to shake it off. She’s probably getting antsy like the rest of us. I’m kind of surprised it’s taken this long for it to kick in, but it’s only inevitable.

Muttering a quick ‘goodbye’, I begin to squeeze my way through that hallway all over again. While it’s a pain, it’s a huge weight off my shoulders. The further away from the library I am, the more I feel like I can breathe unrestricted once more.

…

It’s nice to take in a big old breath of fresh, cool air. I prop my hands on my waist, taking a few moments to myself once I’m back at the main entrance of the palace. Scanning the area, it doesn’t seem like there’s anyone out here, at least not at a first glance. This floor is empty. I wonder how long it’s been standing deserted before we arrived.

“K-Kaito-san?!” Someone shouts my name in a shocked, yet relieved tone, breaking the one sacred moment of silence I’ve had in a long time.

“Wah-!” It causes my heart to practically burst out my chest, since I’ve been so used to how quiet it is in this place. I spin around on my heels, looking from right to left, but can’t catch sight of anybody. “Wh-Who’s there? You tryna mess with me?” I bravely call out, despite knowing for a fact I have no intention of fighting whoever’s here.

“I’m up here, you idiot!”

When the male comes out with that, I realise who it is without even looking. I know that rude tone all too well. Sucking in a breath, my nerves start to subside, and I tilt my head back to glance up at the walkway on the first floor.

Of course, it’s none other than the cocky Gakupo Kamui. Except I suppose we’re not exactly enemies any more, so I should maybe make an effort to be polite to him. Besides, I feel better knowing that he’s unharmed. He’s resting his elbows on the handrail, a light smirk pulling at his lips as he stares down at me. Ah good, I can feel the smug radiating off him already.

“The hell are you doing up there?” Hey, I said we’re barely enemies, that doesn’t mean we’re friends. If he’s going to be the usual smug dickhead that he’s always been, then I’m not in the mood to go down that route again.

“Uh, I’m lost. Duh?” The purple-haired demon narrows his eyes at me, spewing those disgustingly condescending words my way, as if I should have already known the answer.

I grunt under my breath, pinching at the bridge of my nose and shaking my head. “Well, get down here, would you?” I feel like a prince coming to rescue a princess who’s been trapped in a castle all her life, with the way we’re awkwardly conversing right now. I briefly run over the minor details of the underground library, where Rin, Neru and Dell are getting shelter, and how I’ve sort of made it my mission to try and find the others.

“Shit...” A troubled frown crosses his face. He furrows his brows, leaning into one of his palms. “So, it seems like there’s a good chance everyone else is here, too?”

“Fucked up, right?” That’s all I can say.

“Well, maybe we should search together for a bit,” he throws out that suggestion, and I suppose it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Teamwork with this guy still feels a bit odd, though.

“It’s a big palace,” I shrug. With my mind made up, I head over to the staircase and join Gakupo on the first floor up. He trails his eyes along with my movements, and greets me with a wide grin when we’re face-to-face. Even though he’s probably being genuine and not mocking me for once, part of me is still in hostile mode, not quite used to acting all normal with him. “What’s with that stupid smile? Uh! I mean...” That sort of slips out before I can stop myself.

He pulls his elbows from resting against the handrail, before giving a huff in response. “Well, excuse me for being relieved that you’re okay,” he scowls, turning his back on me and starting to walk away. Ouch.

“Sorry, sorry. No need to be so sour, it came out by accident,” I respond in my own bitter way, following him shortly after. Making an attempt to apologise is probably the best course of action, right? I need to lay off the sourness myself, though.

He turns to look over his shoulder at me, a playful snicker passing his lips. Whew, crisis averted. “Yeah, yeah. I just thought it’d be fun to mess with you a little, to make things feel… relatively normal again.”

Strange. It’s only been a little while since I last saw Gakupo, but… It feels like it’s been a long time. I avert my eyes, shifting my head to the side so that he won’t be able to see the light blush sneaking its way up on me. Damn it, think about something else, quick…! I pretend to look at some of the doors over to the left, which must lead to some bedrooms or something. Need something to distract my mind with. Can’t keep blushing like an idiot…

“Hmm, I wonder what’s behind all these doors.” He must’ve noticed where I’ve been looking.

I flick my glance back over to him, the heat fading from my cheeks a moment later. “Yeah, uh… This sure is a fancy place, huh? I bet whoever used to live here loved it.”

“Pfft. Yeah, and _I_ bet they were a spoilt brat who didn’t appreciate such luxury,” Gakupo chuckles in response. That soft laughter… It’s kind of sweet, and it’s also kind of contagious. I can’t help but laugh along with him for a couple of moments; the two of us sharing a pleasant moment like this is pretty nice.

I let out a deep sigh once the giggles have passed. The fear that had been brewing in the pit of my stomach isn’t as noticeable any more. Sure, my fingertips are still tingling, but perhaps it isn’t quite time to give up just yet. “Right?” I sort of snort in agreement. “That’s probably more accurate.”

I almost forgot for a moment that some kind of royalty must’ve resided here, sometime in the past. I doubt they would’ve appreciated it, especially if they were raised to take that kind of lifestyle for granted. Then again, what do I know about royalty except for the dramatised adventures found in one of Miku’s favourite manga? It’s a funny thought either way.

“Mm-hmm… ah...~”

“E-Eh? What’s that?” I stop dead in my tracks. I swear I can hear the faintest humming from somewhere. Not gonna lie, it sort of runs my blood cold. Surely if everyone else was here, they wouldn’t just be singing…

Gakupo swiftly puts on the brakes, too. “What? What is it?” There’s a slight panic in his voice, much like the time we were in that library together. Geez, why do we _both_ have to be total cowards when faced with something like this? He darts his glance about, whereas I silence my breathing the best I can to pinpoint the source.

“Sh, shh,” I hiss, rudely waving a hand in his face. He purses his lips together, glaring ever so slightly at me, but refraining from making any noise.

“Hmm… ah, ah, mm...~”

Biting on my lower lip, breathing as lightly as I possibly can, I finally hear it again. It’s a soft little melody, coming from… Huh. Somewhere to the left of us. I certainly can’t recognise who it is – all I know is that it’s a female. The cold air tickles at my back, leaving me kind of paralysed as the humming hits my ears again. I have to admit, it’s pretty creepy… An abandoned palace miraculously still clean after a long time is suspicious enough on its own. Now some girl is humming a tune from somewhere? Please don’t tell me we’re hearing ghosts of the past.

“M-Maybe we should go back to Rin-san and the others downstairs,” Gakupo quietly suggests, tiptoeing himself a bit closer to me, probably to feel safer. Although if I were him, I wouldn’t rely on me like that for safety.

I slowly turn my head from left to right, scanning the area. Nobody is out here. There’s definitely someone in one of the bedrooms. Is it really wise to go investigating after all the danger we’ve faced so far? Then again, it’s just a girl… Heh. Famous last words. Squinting my eyes, double checking the palace entrance below, I give a shake of my head. “It has to be one of the girls in our group… Right?”

Gakupo simply responds with an exaggerated shrug, as if to ask, ‘how the hell should I know?’. He’s trembling a little bit. Can’t tell if it’s from the cold seeping further into our bodies, or if it’s genuine fear.

Perhaps this is the dumbest thing I’ve done all week, but I have to take the risk. If Miku is here by herself, she must be terrified. Well, I assume ‘terrified’ doesn’t even begin to accurately reflect it, but… “C’mon. What, you scared, Kamui?” I throw a playful grin his way, slapping on some confidence of my own.

“Please don’t be a trap, please don’t be a trap...” He mutters that a few times under his breath as we begin to head toward the source of the quiet humming. It’s sweet, but of course, that hint of creepiness isn’t quick to fade. It echoes a little as it drifts from behind the doors of the bedroom toward our ears, and while I try to tell myself there’s no need to feel threatened by it, it’s hard to actually put logic into practice.

I scoff under my breath, ignoring Gakupo’s wimp-ish mumbling for the time being. “If I’m wrong about this and it’s another trap, I’ll let you say ‘I told you so’ as many times as you want.” I let out a weak laugh, telling him those words over my shoulder. We have to backtrack a short distance past the stairs, and the closer we get to the end of the walkway on one side, the clearer the humming becomes.

Whoever’s in here, they’re at the very last bedroom. Ugh, I really hope it’s Miku. I haven’t quite heard her sing as much as I’d like, so it’s difficult to figure out if it’s her or not. Stopping a few paces short in front of the door, I turn to glance at Gakupo, who still has that pitiable look of worry plastered on his features. It sure is strange seeing this side of him. “Should I open the door, or do you want to do the honours?”

He immediately sharpens his offended glare at me. “How dare you even insinuate that I do so.”

“Of course...” I roll my eyes, turning back to the door. I reach out for the handle; it’s a standard silver circular knob, and as expected, it’s as icy to the touch as everything else in this place. It only makes the light tingling in my fingertips worse, just as I had started to forget about that awful sensation. Carefully, I begin to push the door open. It doesn’t make much noise as I push at it, but maybe that’s only because I’m being incredibly cautious and not barging in.

Gakupo stays a couple of steps behind me, and he’s probably craning his neck from a distance to get a good look inside, without risking the brunt if it’s indeed a trap.

The more I push the door open, the louder that humming becomes. Of course, it doesn’t become _that_ much louder, but it’s obvious the source is here. It becomes even more obvious once I’m able to get a glimpse inside. “H-Huh…?” A little nervous squeak gets caught up in my throat at the peculiar sight.

There’s someone resting on the bed with their back turned to us. Sitting upright with crossed legs, leaning over the pillows… No, leaning over somebody else. I trail my eyes up from their back, taking in their familiar teal locks… That can’t be. This person is so familiar, yet there’s an odd light blue surrounding them, almost like some sort of aura, as they gently hum away. My eyes grow wide at whatever it is I’m witnessing. “M...Mi-chan…?” I stutter out her name without thinking.

“A-Ah!” A sharp gasp comes from her, and the split second I utter her name, that strange light blue disappears. Or at least… I think that’s what I saw…? She spins around on top of the bed, jaw dropped as she locks eyes with me. “Oh… Oh my goodness!” She clutches at her chest with a free hand, supporting herself with her other palm pressed firmly against the blanket. A wave of relief must have washed over her in that moment.

I rub at the back of my neck, not quite sure where to start. I should be relieved too, but I’m more freaked out by what I thought I just saw. There had been some sort of glow surrounding her, hadn’t there…? Or was it a trick of the light? She flutters her lashes expectantly at me, hoping for more than just stunned silence. But what am I supposed to say?

“Uh… Glad to see you’re safe, Miku-san,” Gakupo pipes up, nudging me with his elbow as he passes me to enter the room. I wobble a bit on the spot as he pushes me aside, still in a sort of daze.

“S-Sorry, I’m just in shock…!” I quickly shake it off, deciding to ignore that whole thing. I think the cold is just freezing my brain and making me delirious or something. I hurry into the room, following behind Gakupo, promptly shutting the door behind me to ward off some of the chilly air outside.

When I step into the room, I start to take in more of my surroundings. I’d been so fixated on Miku the whole time, I barely even got a look at this place. It’s decently sized. A high-ranking worker or something must’ve slept in here, long ago. There’s not a whole lot in here; just a bed planted firmly in the centre of the room against the back wall, an elegant wooden bedside table, and a bigger, matching wooden wardrobe to the right. Oddly, this bedroom is like the rest of the palace that I’ve seen so far. Abandoned, yet no sign of dust.

It only takes a couple of moments for me to register it. “This is...”

“G-Gumi-chan…?” Gakupo inhales sharply, rushing to the side of the bed.

Oh, fuck. I didn’t see that the green-haired girl is lying down there, eyes tightly shut. I guess Miku had kind of been blocking the way when we first entered… “Is she okay?”

Miku hops up from the bed, allowing Gakupo some space to sit beside Gumi on the edge. She reluctantly shakes her head at my question, a pout pulling at the corners of her lips. “She… ah...”

“Gumi-chan… Please wake up,” Gakupo’s fear from earlier has naturally melted away. However, it seems to have been replaced by a different type of fear; a type of crippling worry for a loved one. I can’t help but watch helplessly in silence as he shakes at her shoulder. There’s the most heartbreaking expression of panic pulling at his features, desperation growing as he pushes her harder when there’s no response. “Gumi-chan…!”

Miku turns away from the two, trotting over to me with her head hanging low. “Kaito-kun… I… I was so scared,” she softly mumbles, looking up at me with sparkling eyes.

Without hesitation, I reach out to her and wrap my arms around her body. I pull her close to me, sharing some of my remaining warmth with her. She’s colder than I am, somehow. I wordlessly run a hand up and down her back, reassuring her that everything will be alright… I don’t know how, but it has to be.

“I’m still scared, but… Now that you’re here, now that we’re together again...” Miku continues to mumble, her forehead pressed tightly against my chest. Her words come out a bit muffled against me, but I can still hear her. I can only embrace her ever so slightly tighter when her body begins to tremble against mine. “B-But still, I… what are we going to do…?”

I run my hand up her back, resting my palm against the top of her head. I’m not sure how to answer that. She so desperately wants my guidance, just like Gakupo yearns for Gumi to wake up. He hasn’t said another word ever since he realised she’s unconscious. I peer over Miku’s shoulder, and I can see that he’s still leaning over her, softly caressing the top of her hand with his. “It’s alright...” I pull my eyes from him, internally scolding myself. Miku is my priority. She always will be.

Taking in a deep breath, Miku slowly lifts her head up from my chest. Her beautiful blue eyes are still sparkling with those crystal drops… I hate seeing her so upset. I wish I could make everything right for her. Her lips slightly parted, she connects our gazes once more. “I… I found her unconscious in here. I’ve been comforting her the best I can, hoping she can hear my sweet lullabies...”

“You’re always so thoughtful, Mi-chan,” I praise her with a gentle smile, all while running my fingers through her freely flowing hair. I lower an arm to slide around her waist, with a quiet sigh. It’s a good thing she was humming, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have bothered to check these bedrooms. “Do you have any idea what could be wrong with her? A concussion, maybe…?” I lower my voice, trying not to let Gakupo hear.

Miku gives a small shrug, genuinely unsure. “I don’t know… She could’ve been here for a long time already...” Since last night? This isn’t good. There’s no chance of finding food or clean water here. How much more grim is this situation going to get?

“Well, let’s try to stay positive,” I say, more audibly this time. I’m usually so pessimistic, but this is the one time I have to put on a brave face, even though we’re running out of time. I’m not quite sure how we all ended up here, but whatever dropped us here, it must’ve decided to send Gumi in first. Not sure why. I can barely think rationally at all, it’s killing my head. “How have you been holding up since you got here?”

“I… I’m a little sleepy, and kind of hungry,” she shyly admits, lowering her eyes for a moment. I haven’t even been able to think of food, to be honest. “I don’t know how long I’ve been here, either. Maybe… a few hours…?”

That’s right. There’s no way to keep track of time, wherever we are. All I know is that I haven’t been awake as long as Miku, so who knows how bad she’s had it before I showed up. I let out a soft huff, gently dropping the handful of teal locks back down to her side. “Ah, right… I woke up by myself, but I was lucky enough to come across Rin-san. We headed into this palace together, and stumbled across Dell-kun and Neru-chan.”

Miku’s eyes light up just a bit as she hears that. “O-Oh…! They’re okay?”

“Well...” I give an awkward laugh. “We discovered an underground library. Neru-chan took a bit of a funny turn herself, but it must be from all this cold. We’re not used to it. She’s down there with Dell-kun, probably sleeping next to the little fire they put together.”

“Ah...” A light frown pulls at her lips as I reveal that about Neru. She must understand, too. We’re all here together, and that means we have to put aside our petty arguments from this week. “Maybe we can carry Gumi-san downstairs with some blankets. She may feel better with some heat.”

Gakupo lifts his head up at that point, turning to look at us. “You built a fire?” Dark circles have started to form under his eyes already. Seeing that dull expression on his face, and the mix of guilt and pain glinting in his eyes… It hurts more than it probably should.

I nod as a response. “I think it’s time we regroup with the others,” I say. Rin might be getting worried about me. Or worse, Neru and Dell might’ve actually killed each other at this point. Well, I’m kind of hoping Neru sleeps for a little while longer, so she can forget all about her anger.

“I’ll carry Gumi-chan downstairs,” Gakupo bluntly states, taking responsibility for her alone.

“You sure…? Might be easier if-”

“I said I got it,” he coldly interrupts my offer. Ugh… That harsh tone reminds me of the start of this week. I’d only just cracked that tough shell of his, and now he’s back to his old self. I can kind of understand, but I was only trying to be nice. He turns away from us at that moment, shifting the blankets off the girl, preparing to pick her up.

Miku shrugs with a strained smile at me, silently suggesting that I don’t take it personally. She must’ve seen the faint bitter grimace on my face. “I’ll grab the blankets,” she says. Sure, and I’ll just do nothing, I guess… Great.

…

There’s silence for the longest time, as the makeshift paper fire quietly crackles away in the background. It’s quite pleasant, but an uncomfortable sensation still lingers in the air. I’m trying my hardest not to focus on those negative feelings, though. All that matters is we’re together again. Well, almost all of us. I’ve started to recall some of the blurry events from the previous night, or however long ago it was by now. Una and her friends were somehow involved in this mess of ours, too. But they’re still nowhere to be seen in this place. I think it’s clear they’re not pulling the strings behind this crap, so the thought that they may be lost somewhere in the maze of ice outside is nagging away at me.

“Mmh...” A soft, kitty-like yawn passes Miku’s lips. Her head is propped against my shoulder, and her eyelids are growing droopy.

“I thought you said you weren’t tired,” I snicker in a slightly playful manner. I shift myself under the blanket we’re sharing, pushing a bit more of it over to her. She could do with the warmth more than me.

“I’m… I’m not...” She’s clearly lying. I’m not even sure why she wants to stay awake so badly. Perhaps she’s scared, too. It’s only natural.

With a light sigh, I pull my knees up to my chest under the blanket, hugging myself. Sure, this fire has been going for a while and it’s kind of soothing… And these blankets are surprisingly quite clean and comfortable, but… I’m still just a little cold. Every now and then, a harsh chill creeps its way down the hall into the library from upstairs. “It’s best to get some sleep,” I lecture her.

“I know, but… I feel guilty sleeping, while everyone else is worrying,” she quietly responds. She speaks in a low tone, but it’s obvious everyone else can hear regardless.

I flick my glance around the fire. We’re all in a sort of circle, bundled up together in small groups under these blankets. We grabbed a few from upstairs, and even bought spare just in case Una and her friends ever show up. Neru and Dell are fast asleep together; we plopped a blanket over the two when we came back down without waking them. Gakupo has his arms wrapped around Gumi, holding her close until she wakes up. And poor Rin is sitting opposite me and Miku, a dull expression on her face, the warm orange glow of the fire reflecting in her equally dreary eyes. Len hasn’t showed up, either. I can’t even imagine how lonely she must be feeling right now.

As strange as this situation is, part of me is actually… happy. There’s no fighting any more. It’s peaceful. It hasn’t been like this for a while… It’s nice. But I mean, on the other hand, we’re kinda fucked, huh. I just hope everybody else can find their way here before it’s too late.

In the midst of the silence, and maybe just waiting for the inevitable… A pang of boredom strikes. Oh, that’s just rich, isn’t it? I have the privilege of being bored before freezing to death. Scoffing under my breath, I trail my glance to the left. There’s a bookshelf beside me. What are the chances one of these books will be in a language I can understand? Without shuffling and disturbing Miku too much, I stick an arm out from under the blanket and make a strained grab for the nearest book.

“Hmm… Whatcha got there…?” comes her cute, sleepy murmur of curiosity.

“Huh… This book isn’t as dusty as I expected,” I mutter, raising a brow in surprise. Well, slight surprise. I return to my original comfy position, pulling my other arm out and resting the book in my lap. “Ah, don’t mind me, Mi-chan… Just kind of bored, heh.” I run my fingertips over the cover. Hardback. There’s a strange symbol embedded into the cover; a circle with five different elements carved into each corner and the middle.

“Mm… What’s that…? Looks like fire.” Miku puffs her cheeks out, tapping at the left corner of the circle with her finger.

“Ah, that’s right. It’s like a flame.” Taking the time to actually check out the symbol closer, there’s not just a flame, but other small carvings representing the elements. A water drop, a leaf, the basic outline of air trails… And in the centre of those, a single star. As I register those symbols, it’s as though something is sparked within me. I’ve seen this group of carvings somewhere before. But… That can’t be. They’re so familiar… I end up staring blankly down at them, losing track of time, trying to pin where I could’ve seen them before.

“Kaito-kun?” Miku’s worried tone snaps me out of that trance a few moments later.

“H-Huh?” I blink a couple of times, finally pulling my eyes from the cover.

“She called your name about five times,” Rin softly giggles, piping up for the first time in a while. And thankfully, she doesn’t sound as depressed as she looks. Poor girl. But still, five times and I didn’t hear her?

“Ah… My bad...” A nervous chuckle escapes me. “This is just so, uh… fascinating, right?” I try to come up with an excuse as to why I had been idly gawking at it, but that doesn’t really make much sense. Miku knows that I…

“What do you mean? You aren’t _that_ interested in books.” Yep. There it is.

“Hmm, you shouldn’t lie to your girlfriend of all people, Kaito-san...” Gakupo decides to butt in with his take on the situation – an unwanted take, at that. He pulls his eyes from Gumi. Even when he should be prioritising taking care of his own girlfriend, he still has to slide in with that irritating voice of his…!

Burning, I snap at him without thinking. “Mind your damn business, Kamui-!”

“Shh!” Miku, Rin and Gakupo immediately hush me in unison before I yell the place down.

“Grrr...” I grumble, seething. Yeah, I had just been ridiculously inconsiderate there. But… damn it… He should focus on himself and Gumi…! Muttering curses under my breath, I look back down at the book as a distraction.

“Ehh… P-Pretty illustrations, right?” Miku lightens the tone, a slight nervous hint to her voice as she speaks.

 _Deep breath, Kaito. Don’t let the demon get to you._ Good to see some things haven’t changed with that brat. “Yeah,” I sigh. About time I open this thing. Flicking it open to a random page, I land somewhere in the middle. The pages are slightly creased and there are signs of age, but there’s not a huge load of dust or anything hiding inside. Scanning my eyes over it, I take in some of the text at the top of the page. Hmm. ‘The Great Talismans of Wispia’. I can’t believe I can understand some of this; it should be nonsense, shouldn’t it?

Before I get a chance to read it out-loud to Miku and the others, a light echo of a voice stops me short of opening my mouth.

“I think we’re getting close now...”

Moving my glance up from the book, I dart my eyes around the small room, trying to figure out where exactly it’s coming from. It takes a couple of moments, but I’m able to register and recognise that mature tone almost straight away.

“H-Hey, do you guys hear that…?” Miku is the first to ask.

“Yeah…” Gakupo and Rin nod together, both sounding a little on edge.

“Don’t worry,” I say. “I think it sounds like Xingchen. She and her friends must’ve found this place at last.” At least, I _think_ it’s her. The way she screamed at that unknown threat earlier flashes in my mind. Such raw fearlessness, not to mention the booming power behind her voice… She’s actually kind of scary. It’s hard to forget a voice like that. But I’m sure they’ll be glad to see their Mahogany Creek friends again, at the very least.

“Oh, th-that’s good!” Rin tries her best to come across as positive, but it must sting knowing those girls are safe when her brother isn’t. She doesn’t bother to look over her shoulder at the little hallway behind her.

Soon enough, the girls come into sight. Of course, they’ve formed a single file to fit. The first thing I notice is that Xingchen is carrying one of her friends in her arms, clutching her tightly; the creases on her forehead become more apparent the closer they come.

“Oh no, it looks like Una-san isn’t doing too good either,” Miku says, a frown pulling at her lips.

Ah, I see… The girl in Xingchen’s arms is her shy blue-haired friend. This isn’t good at all.

She looks exhausted but she powers through to the end of the hallway. I’m sure she’s seen us all by now, but she remains silent. Her mind must be focused on Una. When she squeezes out of the small gap, her eyes immediately lock onto the makeshift fire.

“H-Hey, how are you girls holding up…?” Ugh, maybe that’s a dumb question, but the atmosphere in here just got a lot more tense. I’m struggling to think of better things to say.

Huffing rather heavily, Xingchen braces herself momentarily, then kneels to the floor. She lowers Una’s sleeping body, securely planting her down in the gap between Rin and me.

“O-Oh, I didn’t realise everybody else was here…!” Aoki pops out of the hallway a couple moments later, eyes widening as she sets her sights upon the rest of us. She sounds as though she’s out of breath herself.

“And here I thought that creep only took revenge on the four of us,” Merli grunts, through gritted teeth. Huh, that creep…? She must mean that mysterious figure from before.

Xingchen purses her lips, turning her head from left to right, taking in her surroundings. “You have blankets?” She directs her question to those who are awake right now, but for some reason, she stares right at me as she asks.

“Uh, um...” I can’t help but blink a couple of times in confusion.

Miku tilts her head to the side, darting her suspicious glare between me and Xingchen. “Yeah, we brought down some spare. Kaito-kun thought you girls might show up sooner or later.” Uh oh. Her tone is dripping with jealousy. Why on earth would she think such a thing?!

Sweat is starting to form at my forehead. I shift a little under the blanket, sort of squirming in discomfort as Xingchen focuses her glance on me for a few moments. I release a shaky breath once she moves to the pile of spare blankets and swoops one up.

“Well, we’re holding up alright, I guess,” Aoki mumbles, lowering her eyes. She sets herself onto the floor where there’s some space, but with everyone here now, it’s getting a bit cramped. Not that I mind. While she gets as comfortable as she can, Merli takes the other blanket and then plonks herself right next to her sister.

“Una-san fainted a little while ago,” Merli sighs softly.

Xingchen’s expression twitches a bit at the mention of Una. She’s busy wrapping the blanket over the blue-haired girl. It’s just like Neru and Gumi. I guess it kind of makes sense… None of us are used to such harsh conditions.

“Hm… Len-san is missing, too?” Aoki asks after a brief silence, curiously glancing around the circle.

Rin drags her knees up to her chest, a small huff passing her lips. “Mhm,” she quietly mutters.

“He’s been missing since… well, the night of the concert,” Gakupo says in her place.

“You don’t think…?” Merli locks eyes with Aoki, a serious glint reflecting in her orbs for a short second. She immediately trails off, as though not daring to finish that suggestion.

That’s kind of piqued my interest. I raise a brow, wondering what could possibly be going through their minds.

“Don’t be ridiculous…!” Aoki scolds her sister straight away, and I’m kind of taken back by it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her so serious.

“S-Sorry,” Merli whimpers, puffing her cheeks out in an exaggerated manner. Kind of like a child who’s been told off.

“Well...” I cough lightly, hoping to clear the suffocating atmosphere. I look over at Xingchen, who’s gotten Una all nice and wrapped up. However, she’s not bothering to cover herself with the blanket.

“A-Aren’t you cold…?” Miku puts on a gentle smile when she addresses Xingchen, trying to be friendly and all, but she’s met with a deadpan stare. “Mmh…!” She lets out a whine, one just loud enough for me to hear, but hopefully the others can’t hear it. Yep, Xingchen is totally scary.

“Una-san needs it more than me.” She answers, perhaps a beat too late. Her mind must’ve been elsewhere. Either that or she’s pretty damn selective on choosing when to respond. I can’t figure this girl out.

“Hm...” I’ve almost forgotten all about the book in my lap. I lost interest once the girls arrived, but now that silence hangs between us once more, maybe this is a good chance to shift the conversation away from that unbearable awkwardness. I get the feeling these girls don’t trust us like Gakupo, Gumi and Rin do. Well, too bad. If we’re all stuck here together…

“Kaito-san.” Just as I’m about to change the subject, she bluntly addresses me.

I can’t help but squirm a little at the direct tone. Oh god, she’s gawking at me with those empty eyes again. Please, crack a smile, just once…! “Heh… Yes?” Shoving aside those thoughts, I respond with a slightly strained grin.

“Do you have any idea how we got here?”

“Eh…?” I’m thrown off by that question. Why ask me, of all people?

“I don’t think Kaito-san is the best person to ask,” Gakupo says, without taking his eyes off Gumi. He echoes my thoughts, but he does so in a more crude fashion, along with sneaking a sly jab in there, as usual.

“Don’t you start with me again, Kamui, I swear to-”

“I’m asking because you were one of the people who saw what happened,” Xingchen smoothly interrupts me, tone as calm as ever.

“H-Hey, you don’t trust me to give my account?” Gakupo butts in, this time looking over at us with a dramatic frown on his face. Maybe I should be offended that she doesn’t trust him, but then again, revenge is sweet.

Being selective once more, Xingchen seems to drown the purple-haired male out, focusing intently on me. “Well?” She presses me further.

“Well...” I rub at the back of my neck. It’s still blurry.

“I think you’re asking a bit much of him...” Miku speaks in my defense after a pause that seems to last forever. Ah, what an angel…! She’ll probably be able to see how flustered this is making me.

Xingchen holds that uncomfortable gaze for a little longer… And to my surprise, she gives in. “My apologies. I was curious.”

“Whew,” I sigh under my breath. I catch Miku’s eyes for a second, and there’s a glimmer of a smile in there.

“Xingchen, I think once everyone is awake, we should tell them...” Merli suggests, although the context is pretty vague.

“Yes, it’s about time, isn’t it?” the girl answers, nodding once in agreement.

“What do you mean by that?” Rin lifts her head up from her knees, apparently drawn into the conversation by her curiosity.

“Let’s hold out for a bit longer, everyone,” Xingchen looks between us. Her tone has taken a mature turn again… Although at least this time it’s not so scary. More like she’s taking responsibility for… Whatever this is. “We can’t keep this a secret any more. If your friends pull through this, then we must begin to take action.”

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmmm, curious and interesting indeed! I'm looking forward to finally exploring Xingchen's character, along with Una, Aoki and Merli. :D I think those four are easily gonna be my favourite characters in the end. Well, Kaito and Gakupo are always first, but ya know. I got big plans for my lovely diverse cast! I hope you all enjoy watching it unfold. <3


	16. Chapter Fifteen - Remnants of Wispia

“Hmm...” A deep, thoughtful hum passed the lips of a young woman, eyes narrowed as she observed the darkness stretched out in front of her. There was a certain uneasiness in the air, but it seemed as though she was the only one who paid any attention to it. She stood alert on the left side of someone’s bedroom door.

“What is it?” On the right side of the door, in a far more relaxed position, was another person on guard duty. A boy around the same age as her, slouched against the wall, foot propped up and everything. Although her muttering was rather quiet, the entire west wing was cloaked in silence, so naturally he had heard.

The girl released the breath she was holding. She softened her honey brown eyes, relaxing her tensed muscles for now. “Ah, it’s nothing...” She played it off in a nonchalant way, brushing some stray dark blonde strands of hair from her face. She sent her partner a reassuring smile, wanting to come off as confident, and that it was no big deal.

However, he could always tell when she was trying too hard to hide something. A hint of a smirk reflected in those deep red eyes of his, and without missing a beat, he fired back. “You’re a terrible liar, Akita-san.”

“Mmh...” Her face twisted in discomfort. How could he possibly see through her _that_ easily? She folded her arms over her chest, mimicking his position. She leaned back against the wall, pushing a foot up to support herself. “It’s just… quiet lately, don’t you think, Honne-san?” She spoke with a certain mystery, not alluding to what she really felt, in fear of sounding as though she was overreacting.

Again, he picked up on that, but remained calm. “Well, yes. That’s normal though, considering it’s the middle of the night.” He answered rather bluntly, and that threw the Akita girl off.

“I’m not talking about right now, you fool,” she scolded him, losing her temper ever so slightly at his staggering incompetence. She glared harshly at him, wondering for a moment how he could possibly be so thick-headed. She then sucked in a breath to chill herself out, reminding herself not to screech the palace down, what with the prince currently sleeping and all. “I meant the kingdom in general. There hasn’t been a threat in… well, months, and I don’t trust it.”

The Honne guard simply let his eyes slip shut, giving an exaggerated shrug. He failed to see the problem with some peace. He was truly in a state of the utmost relaxation, knowing his job was much easier now that there hadn’t been many attacks. “Isn’t that a good thing?” he mumbled, practically drifting off on the spot.

“Tch,” she grunted under her breath, slowly shaking her head. “Maybe, maybe not. I just think it’s too good to be true. What if some group is out there conspiring against the throne right now?”

“Eh…?” The male opened an eye, peering over at her, growing suspicious. The look on her face just screamed ‘serious’. She was usually so carefree, much like him. To see her get all worried like that was unnerving. “W-Well...” He couldn’t help but trip over his words a little. His other eye flicked open, and he stared down the hallway. Now that she mentioned it… The darkness appeared to be closing in on him. A cold chill ran down his back. “What kind of threat do you think it is?”

She gave a heavy sigh, deciding not to push the idea any more. “Maybe I’m thinking too hard on it,” she answered, after a brief pause.

He finally forced himself to tear his eyes off the unending darkness ahead, looking back at his partner. For the first time that night, he studied her closer than he had before. Her eyelids seemed to be heavy, a worn out expression hiding behind her casual grin. There were faint creases on her forehead, too. “You’ve been working yourself too hard lately, Akita-san...” he softly said. He had never seen her this way before.

“Only to make up for how little you work,” she shot back, with a playful chuckle. She tried to ignore the slight hint of worry in his voice, and the oh-so gentle way he uttered those words. The way he was getting lost in her eyes… But then again, for her to notice such a thing, she had to be staring right back at him. “Aha… I...” Speechless. Had his eyes always been so wonderful to look at?

“You deserve a break every now and then.” He broke eye contact after what felt like an eternity, the tense atmosphere the two beginning to weigh down on his chest. He rubbed at the back of his neck, averting his glance off to the hallway in front of them.

“Nah, I… I’m fine.” She lowered her eyes momentarily, trying to find a place to rest her glance; a place that seemed natural, and not like she was scrambling desperately for somewhere else to look. “Besides, that’s our job, isn’t it? To worry? It is our priority to protect Prince Seiun at all times, even when there are no threats.”

“I’m sorry, but...” In the blink of an eye, the Honne boy had sprung forward and swiftly grabbed hold of her hands.

“E-Eh?” A light squeak was the only thing she could muster. Ripping her nervous gaze from her feet, she connected their eyes once more. All she could see reflected in his was a mischievous glint.

“I stopped listening at ‘I’m fine’ and decided to mentally skip over more of your lies.”

“Honne-san…!” She gasped at his lack of respect. How dare he not listen to a lady and her troubles. Her cheeks flushed a light pink, and in that moment she was thankful for the darkness that surrounded them. That didn’t mean he couldn’t feel the warmth starting to radiate from her, though. Before she could say anything more…

“Come on!” He let out a wild laugh, and without any warning began to run, yanking her along with him so that she had no time at all to protest.

“Wah-! Pff… Ahaha!~” Her worries melted away in the space of a second; the moment she was dragged off her feet down the hall, she let it all go and allowed herself this one chance to indulge in her carefree ways once more.

“Hmm…?” To the right of the prince’s bedroom, the princess’s personal quarters resided a good distance away. Much like the guards Akita and Honne, there were two young women standing next to the door in mutual silence. However, unlike Honne and Akita, there was an air of grace about them. The first to hear a slight commotion coming from the west area of the palace was the guard with deep purple hair, which flowed in waves down her back. She couldn’t quite make out who the light echo of footsteps belonged to, something she was normally good at.

The guard to her left, Aoki, shot her head up a moment later. She glared down the hall that led toward the east wing, shifting into a defensive position. “You heard it too, didn’t you, Merli?” She didn’t dare to pull her eyes off the end of the hall; she squinted, hoping to catch sight of someone or _something._

“That I did, sister.” Their way of communicating was far more formal, polite and straight to the point, a stark contrast to the two guards who watched over the prince. Merli straightened up her posture, sticking her chin out. “It sounded like footsteps. We should go scan the area. I bet Neru-san and Dell-san are slacking off and sleeping on the job as usual.”

“You don’t think it’s one of those two, do you?” Aoki raised a curious brow, wanting to know what her sister thought of the situation.

“Doubtful. It could very well be an intruder. It has been too quiet here for too long,” Merli responded, suspicious of the lack of threats, too.

“Ahh… If Neru-san and Dell-san are sleeping on the job, perhaps Prince Seiun was able to sneak past them to meet- Oh!” Blinking in shock at her loose lips, she instantly clamped a palm over her mouth the second she caught herself saying too much, but not before squeaking at her stupidity.

“Wh-What was that?” Merli was equally stunned at the revelation. She had been left out of the loop. While that annoyed her, the fact that their dear prince had apparently been sneaking out more than once terrified her.

“N-N-Nothing!” Aoki ripped her hand away at Merli’s questioning, whimpering at the shiver-inducing fire burning in her sister’s eyes. “It’s n-not what you think! Prince Seiun is-”

“King Seiun will be furious if he finds out about such a thing! Not only that, he’ll want _my_ head first!” Merli used her fear to fuel her rage, although internally she was freaking out at the mere thought. “Do you remember the last time Princess Seiun was left unattended for five minutes in the royal gardens? I thought the king was going to behead me on the spot!”

“Hehhh, but that wasn’t your fault, sister...~” Aoki waved her hand dismissively, batting her lashes at the other. “Besides, I got confused, I didn’t mean Prince Seiun sneaked out, just that-”

Again, Merli interrupted her sister’s rambling, growing more irritated with each second that passed. “Of course it wasn’t my fault, stupid! It was _yours!_ Have you forgotten already? You dragged me away because you thought you saw a rare butterfly on one of the flowers, and- And-! Ughhh…! And if this turns out to be true, I’ll be sure to let King Seiun know _exactly_ whose fault it is this time!” The guard exploded with rage, leaving Aoki with tears filled to the brim in her eyes and cowering.

“D-D-Don’t flip out on meee…!” The younger of the two sniffled, lower lip quivering. “B-Besides, you’ll wake Princess Seiun...”

Ah, yes. Normally the two sisters were refined, graceful and kept their composure. The perfect pair of sisters. Often, there was talk of how well-behaved they were, and that it was a rarity for two girls of their age to get along so splendidly. That was when they were around the family they served. Alone on night shifts together, catfights frequently broke out.

“The only thing that’ll wake the princess is your pathetic blubbering,” Merli said, with a threatening snarl. She snatched up a fistful of Aoki’s light blue scarf, yanking the girl forward, which shook the shining diamond pin that held the accessory in place around her neck. “We move. Now. The sooner King Seiun is informed of this slip up, the better.”

“Noooo, Merliiii…!” Aoki shrieked in terror as her sister dragged her off into the night.

Rushing through the halls for a little longer, the two guards of the prince came to a halt outside some tall doors.

“Wow, what a rush…!” Neru was the first to speak up, taking in gasps of air after to catch her breath. The way her long hair flowed freely behind her as she was guided through the palace, and the way he gripped her hand a little tighter as they skidded around a corner was beyond exhilarating for her.

“Aha, yeah… I...” Dell lowered his eyes in a bashful way, and that was when he noticed his fingers still slipped through hers. His words got caught up in his throat at the sight.

“Oh, sorry, I forgot…!” Neru untangled her fingers from his in a hurry, with an awkward grin. She turned to squint up at the doors. It took a quick moment for her to piece together where they stopped in front of. “Is this what I think it is?”

Situated in the grand entrance hall to the left was a magnificent ballroom, one that hosted events at least once every month. Neru had been lucky enough to catch a glimpse at one of the guest lists a while back, and was naturally stunned by the sheer number of civilians from all over the great kingdom who had been invited. It had made her feel a pang of jealousy at the time – in fact, _every_ time there was an event.

“Yes, it is,” Dell said, with a single nod. In truth, he had been planning something like this for the longest time. He just had to find the right time to put the plan into motion. Seeing Neru so overwhelmed with work earlier that night had been the final straw. “We could get in big trouble for this, so we cannot stay for long, unfortunately...”

“Wait, we’re actually going in?” Neru’s eyes widened slightly. She wasn’t sure how she felt about stepping into a forbidden territory.

“Why not?” He fired back with a light smirk of disobedience pulling at his lips. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled at the doors, revealing the interior. Of course, it was even darker in there than it was out in the halls.

But Neru could already perfectly visualise the sight of it in her mind. Many times had she glanced in while stood on guard outside during events, taking in one small detail at a time. There had been so many event shifts that she started to memorise the entire hall eventually. “Wow,” she mouthed, jaw dropping.

The grand pillars towered as they always did, stretching up to the ceiling in support. As she traced her eyes up those pillars, she could faintly see the outline of the gold chandeliers. Except, rather than sparkling brilliantly as they did during the day, they appeared different than what she was used to. The dark red curtains at the far end of the hall were slightly cracked open, and that one small crack was enough to allow the soft moonlight from outside to spill into the hall – down onto the marble floor, bouncing off the chandeliers to make them seem as though they were made of the finest silver instead.

“Honne-san, it… it’s...” Breathless. That was how she felt, standing all the way back at the doorway to that enchanting view.

Dell could briefly see the wonder in her eyes. Seeing her now overcome with joy, all those worries melted away, made his heart flutter. He pulled the doors closed, before answering her. “I know you’ve always wanted to actually come in here and be part of the ball,” he said, taking a couple steps inside. He turned on his heels toward her, extending an arm.

“You’re like a mind reader,” she responded, with a small giggle. “Oh…?” She wondered what he possibly could have in mind, with the way he stuck his arm out like that. She reluctantly reached out to him, linking her arm through his with a shy grin.

“We most likely won’t have much time, but...” Dell started to walk forward, heading to the middle of the grand ballroom with a stunned Neru. While they couldn’t head too far in, they were a decent enough distance from the doors. He slowed down and turned to face Neru, heels squeaking quietly against the floor, breaking the link between their arms and instead holding out a hand.

“O-Oh...” Neru blinked rapidly, able to predict what he might say next. She mentally prepared herself the best she could; she had never been asked such a thing before, and she wasn’t even sure if she _could._

“May I have the honour of dancing with you, Akita-san…?”

She exploded with embarrassment a split second later. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks all over again, but she swiftly covered it up with a casual smile. A twitching smile, but casual nonetheless. “Ah… y...yes, of course…!” She gave a single nod, and reached a shaky palm out to take hold of his. With slightly parted lips, she gazed up at him, and what a sight it was. The gentle silver rays spilled over his shoulders, illuminating that gorgeous face of his, red eyes somehow more beautiful than before… And she couldn’t help but trace her glance down to his lips, more tempting now than ever.

Obviously, Dell had noticed the way she was eyeing him up. It made him a little uncomfortable, but only because he hadn’t fully prepared for what might happen between them later that night. His heart thudded in his chest, but he confidently gripped her palm, steadying his nerves. “Great. I have to warn you now, I’m not the best at dancing...” He sneaked in a teasing smirk, sliding his free hand down to rest at her waist. He was pretty much mimicking what he had seen other couples do at those fancy events.

Neru swallowed down a squeak, darting her eyes back up to his. “No problem… I’m not either,” she admitted, feeling a little more at ease knowing that she didn’t have to try and impress him any more. Although, she did wonder if it was normal for dancing partners to be so close to one another. She chewed on her lower lip, not quite sure what to do with her free hand.

Dell held in a small chuckle at how awkwardly she was behaving. He didn’t want to tease her – she just came off as so innocent and cute. He had never seen such a side to her before… Surely, however, if the other royal guards or servants caught wind of her ‘cuteness’, she’d bury him alive. “Hey… you have to put your hand on my shoulder, so you have a better grip.” He gently advised her.

“Oh…!” Neru snorted, as if it should’ve been obvious from the start. She had spent so much time gawking at the decorations, she’d forgotten to watch the people. She followed his instructions, their embrace now complete.

“Now… Try your best to follow my movements.” In truth, Dell had no idea what he was getting himself into, nor where the sudden burst of confidence had come from. He gulped down his worries, shutting his mind up, and took a step back to begin.

Patrolling the main hall, the two sisters had followed the echo of the unknown voices and were on the verge of discovering something. Unfortunately, they had lost track of that lead as soon as they set foot on the ground floor. They could no longer hear any voices; there was no indication where they went. The unnerving shadows of the night and suffocating silence slowly enveloped the two, and while Merli could feel herself breaking out in a cold sweat, a rush of relief passed over Aoki. She had been spared the evil clutches of the king for another day, or so she hoped. The other guard, however, was not about to give up so easy.

“They must be here somewhere...” she grumbled, forehead creasing as she strained to peer through the endless dark. Even though they had worked so many night shifts together, they still weren’t all that good at adjusting their vision to catch intruders.

“M-Maybe it was nothing after all,” Aoki said, a few paces behind Merli. She wasn’t putting in as much effort to search, unlike her sister. “Perhaps Neru-san and Dell-san are just messing with us?” Even though she was undoubtedly terrified of Merli and the possible consequences of slipping up, a part of her was also furious at the prince. She cursed him in her mind, yet she also made sure to tell herself off, for being foolish enough to listen to his devilish ways of manipulation and the fact that he convinced her to let him sneak out.

Merli tutted under her breath. “Then those two clowns can step up to the guillotine before you, my dear air-headed sister.” A scowl pulled at her face, although her back was currently turned to the other.

‘Yeah, right, as if…! I’m so gonna push all the blame onto those two, since _they_ are the ones who are supposed to be watching the prince, not me…!’ she thought to herself, composure faltering ever so slightly as her right eye twitched. Desperation had started to kick in.

A minute or so later, the sister who deemed herself more mature than the other gave a heavy sigh. Every possible hiding place and every little corner had been thoroughly searched. No signs of life were present. She racked her brains for a back up plan. If an intruder had managed to slyly slip by, the blame would most definitely fall onto Merli before anyone else. “Gahhh…! This is too much responsibility for a kid my age…! Aoki, don’t you get it, we have so many people to impress and all these expectations to live up to, we can’t fail now!” She spun around frantically on her heels, unloading a shocking amount of emotion.

Aoki blinked a few times, before raising an unimpressed brow. Merli didn’t care a single bit when Aoki crumbled under the pressure… “You’re taking this too seriously.” She simply said, folding her arms over her chest in a stubborn manner. She stuck her chin out, looking down on her sister during her time of need. That mini freak out kind of worked to Aoki’s advantage. Perhaps the prince’s manipulative charm had rubbed off on her… “I told you it was just a practical joke, pulled by Neru-san and Dell-san.”

“Oh yeah? What about Prince Seiun leaving the palace unattended at night?” Merli _almost_ believed those words, but one little fact still remained unchanged.

“Uhh… About that...” She rubbed at the back of her head, letting out a small giggle. Aoki scolded herself internally. She should’ve known better than to try and trick her sister.

“Ow!”

“Ah, s-sorry, sorry…!”

The two snapped their heads up at the sudden commotion coming from behind them, immediately zipping their mouths shut. Merli swiftly spun back around, and Aoki stomped forward to her side a split second later, their guard instincts kicking in. Someone was there after all.

“The royal ballroom…” Aoki hissed, staring straight at the tall doors. She clenched her gloved fists, sticking them out a short distance in front of her, taking on a more appropriate cautious stance.

Merli gave a nod, confirming that the strange squeals indeed came from inside the ballroom. Even if the tone of the voices appeared to sound innocent enough, the sisters knew they couldn’t let their guard down. “I don’t recognise whoever’s in there. Get ready to strike on three, sister.”

“Got it.”

Dell forced a smile after a brief moment of whining. “A-All good,” he wheezed, pausing momentarily.

Neru shuffled back a bit, distancing her feet from his, not quite trusting that she wouldn’t accidentally crush his toes again later. It had only been a couple of minutes, and there was already a casualty. “I didn’t think I’d be so clumsy,” she muttered, with a sheepish hint to her words.

“It’s okay,” he reassured her, sucking in a breath after. He recovered quite quickly, deciding to show off some smooth moves by twirling her round, plastering on a wide grin.

“Oh…!” She let out a laugh. Her long hair flowed around behind her as she spun, some strands of her fringe getting caught up in her eyes. “Now, just where have you been hiding all this talent, Honne-san? I always thought you were quite, um… what’s the word… lazy? Apathetic?” Neru smirked lightly at him, wanting to tease him rather than coming off as too impressed.

He gave a nonchalant shrug. He figured he’d paid a lot more attention to the dancing couples than he originally intended. Besides, seeing that joyful sparkle in her eye helped him to focus less on the throbbing pain in his poor toes. He acted swiftly once more, turning both of them around in one swoop and gathered the courage to lower Neru down into a dip.

Neru gripped onto Dell a little tighter, growing ever so slightly wary at her new position. In return, she could feel him secure his grasp on her lower back, which eased her pounding heart. “Honne-san…” Was it hotter than before all of a sudden? Neru wondered why it felt like she could barely breathe, all while staring helplessly up into Dell’s eyes.

“Akita-san, I… I’ve wanted to tell you something for a while...” He started, a lump forming at the back of his throat. He coughed lightly, hoping to clear away some of the nerves. He knew this would be the right time to finally get his feelings out into the open. He leaned in closer without really thinking. There was nothing but a small gap between their lips, the tension growing more stifling with each second Dell remained silent, hesitation stopping him short of continuing.

“Nnn… gah! Alright, whoever’s in here, don’t you dare move!”

Ruining the moment rather abruptly, the two sisters came barging into the ballroom, blasting the door down and Merli barking out an order. A light purple aura filled a portion of the once darkened hall. Aoki was charged up, gloved hands sparkling, and though it was certainly a pretty sight, the energy gathered around her palms had proven to be fatal before.

“Wah!” Neru and Dell cried out in unison, scared half to death in the midst of their near kiss. A harsh sound followed a second later; Neru’s backside crashing straight to the cold, hard floor due to Dell apparently receiving a worse fright than the other.

“H-Huh!?” Merli squeaked, recoiling with a grimace as she realised what was going on. She lowered her fighting stance, pressing a palm to her forehead with an exaggerated groan. “I don’t believe this!”

“Ow, ow, ow-! Honne-san, you… you… help me up, right now!” Neru grew all flustered, cheeks burning up, furious that they’d been discovered by Aoki and Merli of all people.

Aoki’s eyes widened at the sight. Her reaction was a little delayed; it took her longer than Merli to read between the lines. “Woaaah… wait...” She also returned to a normal standing position, but kept the energy flowing at her palms with a bit of effort, being courteous enough to offer some much needed lighting.

“O-Oh, Akita-san, I’m so sorry…!” He darted his glance between the two sisters and the rage-fuelled guard on her butt, overwhelmed with confusion. He had no idea what to do first.

“I cannot believe this,” Merli hissed again, through gritted teeth, seething.

Aoki followed Dell with her curious eyes, watching intently as he bent over and stuck out his hand for Neru to take. “Oh!” Realisation finally hit her. When they first charged into the room, she recalled how close the two guards were, for a split second. “Heh...~ You two sneaked away from duty for a private date, didn’t you? Ohoho, how romantic!” The over-exaggerated ideals of romance greatly appealed to the young woman, which led her to start rambling and humiliating Neru and Dell all over again.

“D-D-Date?” Neru choked out, repeating that one word in an obnoxious high-pitched screech. Just as she was mid-grab for Dell’s hand, she spluttered and got caught off guard once more. She got so caught up in wanting to bite Aoki’s head off that she lost her balance, this time dragging Dell down with her.

“Gahhh, you stupid clowns, do you want to wake up the entire palace!?” Merli shrieked with fury, spilling out burning toxicity like a long overdue volcano eruption, the volume of her tantrum quite possibly much louder than the other guards’ fall to the floor.

“M-Merli, calm down…!” Aoki waved her hands in front of her hysterically, shaking her head. If anyone were to wake the entire palace, it’d certainly be _her._

“Ugh… hnngh...” Dell grumbled, pressing his forehead to the cold floor. He’d prefer to spend the rest of the night there in that pathetic pile, buried in his misery, as opposed to having to deal with the teasing and relentless humiliation later on.

Merli took in a deep breath, glaring sternly down at the two. “Aoki, it seems you’re spared from decapitation after all. How lucky. These two will be taking your place instead.”

“Y...yay…?” Aoki gulped.

“We were only gonna be in here for five minutes...” Neru huffed, managing to shove Dell’s heavy body off from on top of her. She sat up, pressing her palms behind her.

“Save your excuses for the king,” Merli tutted, refusing to give them a shred of mercy. “Get up, you lousy jesters. We have to check that Prince Seiun is still in his sleeping quarters.”

With a final grunt, not bothering to protest, Neru and Dell decided to pick themselves up and hope that their prince hadn’t managed to get away unsupervised.

…

“Your Highness, if I may give you some advice...” Fitting her role of ‘trainee royal advisor’, a young woman with shoulder-length, light green locks cleared her throat and spoke up, albeit kind of timidly. She wanted to give some friendly criticism to the prestigious prince, who hadn’t quite nailed down the prestigious part yet. Then again, she hadn’t nailed down the confidence part of her role, either.

“Mmmh… Please, not right now.” He intended to give a firm ‘no’ as an answer, but it creaked rather pathetically from the back of his throat, coming out as a mere grunt. He had been staring down at his feet idly for a while; all he could see of the young royal advisor was the overflow of her silky white kimono almost brushing against the floor.

She stood up uncomfortably straight, head held high. She didn’t exactly want to look down at the prince, but with the way he was currently slouching on the bottom of the stairs, she couldn’t help but feel as though she was being condescending. “I understand how you must be feeling,” she said, hoping to appeal to him on a more personal level.

He had his arms propped up, resting on top of his knees which were drawn in close to his chest. “No, Gumi-san, I don’t think you do.” With another miserable grunt, he let out a long, heavy sigh and buried his face in his palms.

The young woman certainly hadn’t anticipated such a reaction. When she first met the prince, nothing about him screamed ‘I can’t handle pressure and consequences’. He always had a graceful air surrounding him; a sense of being level-headed. Yet here he was, having a full on meltdown right in front of her, no shame whatsoever. Although, part of her understood, to some degree. Her patronising sympathetic grin cracked slightly. “Perhaps not...” she admitted, with a low laugh. “Your father is only looking out for you, though. He doesn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

The prince drew in a breath, peering up from behind his palms. He had put on those pitiful puppy dog eyes without even realising. “Are you kidding? Thanks to dear old father, the entire kingdom now knows that I’ve been having little rendezvous with another young man my age – a trainee royal guard, at that!” He sort of yelled that, though it came out more panicked than anything, expression twisting further into shame the more he went on.

Gumi tried not to let the second-hand embarrassment sink in or show on her face as she caught sight of a few servants passing by in the middle of the prince’s rant. He hadn’t noticed at all, but she could feel their prying eyes as they headed toward the dining hall. Her glance traced their movements. If there was anyone left in the Glimmershield Grove region that didn’t know of the prince’s secret love life, well, that wouldn’t last too much longer.

“What am I going to do?” He was so self-absorbed that he completely missed her wandering gaze, which was probably for the best. “I’m never going to be allowed to leave the palace again. And I’m probably going to be tortured about this forever.” He sniffled, cry-baby nature shining through.

“Uh… um...” She had only been in training for a few months. Nothing so far on her course of training had prepared her for such a loaded question. She rubbed thoughtfully at her cheek with a finger, straining a smile while attempting to come up with a logical answer. However, she didn’t want to be too robotic. After all, the trainee royal guard _was_ her best friend since they were children. She was as shocked as the king and most likely every other civilian to learn of such an affair, but she wasn’t entirely heartless. “I’m sure this will all pass.”

The prince raised a doubtful eyebrow, staring deadpan right at her. “Oh, really?” So much sarcasm dripped from that simple little question.

Gumi let out a soft sigh. She plopped herself next to the prince on the bottom of the stairs, tucking in her kimono under her, deciding to speak straight from the heart for once. “I won’t lie, it’s pretty bad,” she started. “I mean… I was raised in Heartgarde, arguably the most tolerant part of my home region. I don’t have any problem if you and Gaku want to… y’know.” She coughed lightly, averting her eyes in slight embarrassment.

The prince lowered his glance, too. He knew he could count on Gumi, and was thankful that taking on a position in the palace hadn’t shaped her morals any differently. But he realised, did it even matter what she or a few others thought? “Yes… But for a prince to fall in love with what the royal family deems a ‘commoner’...” His words trailed off, unable to bring himself to say the rest out loud. ‘A commoner who is male, no less.’ He didn’t want to feel ashamed, but when faced with the King’s outrage…

“You know it pains me to say it, but I think it’d be best for both of you if you tried to move on.” Gumi looked directly into the prince’s lost, hurt eyes as she spoke, finding the courage to guide him with brutal honesty.

His lower lip quivered ever so slightly at the thought. He was in love with the trainee royal guard, once a simple village boy from Heartgarde. He hadn’t been more sure of anything in his life. So, the prospect of having to say goodbye, and block out all the memories of their sweet kisses in the dark, the way they hugged each other extra tight before parting ways… He gulped down the lump forming in his throat. “You think so?”

Gumi gave a single nod, confidence unwavering. She knew that if they continued to see each other in secret after being warned to break it off, it’d end in more heartbreak and pain. She had grown to see the prince as a close friend over the past few months, and she valued his feelings just as she valued the royal guard’s. She lowered her voice, “I can arrange a final meeting tonight for the two of you. I’ll see to it that it goes uninterrupted, and no one will catch wind of it. You should say your goodbyes.”

The prince dropped his glance to his feet again, falling silent for a few moments, lost in bittersweet memories. He took a breath, and accepted defeat. “...Alright.”

…

“Hmm… ahh...~” A sleepy yawn passes Gumi’s lips, breaking the awkward silence hanging between all of us. She stretches her arms out in an exaggerated manner, although I can’t really blame her, after being out of it for so long. Her eyelids keep drooping, and it must be taking a lot of willpower to stay awake.

The soft crackling of the fire is the only thing keeping me sane, to be honest. At least there’s _some_ noise amongst this terrible, crushing quiet. I don’t blame anyone for not talking, though. Sure, we’ve miraculously averted a crisis for now, and those who were unconscious are finally awake. But after everything Xingchen and her friends unloaded onto us… I have no idea where to even begin. The fact that this isn’t one massive prank is really fucking with my brain.

“How you holding up, Gumi-san…?” Rin shyly pipes up. It’s nice that she’s considering everyone else’s feelings, but she shouldn’t neglect her own troubled mind in the process.

“Could be better,” the green-haired girl says, with a light shrug. She flicks her glance over to the narrow hallway for about the third time after our group talk.

“Gakupo-san still hasn’t returned...” Miku drops her voice to a hushed whisper, intending for only me to hear. She mustn’t want to point out the obvious, and while it’s a sweet gesture, I’m pretty sure literally everyone can still hear us.

“Mm,” I mumble, a bit troubled. He’s been gone since Xingchen finished telling us our supposed fate. Just straight up stormed out of this underground room in denial. I’ve no doubt this is reminding him of the whole library situation we encountered together at school, so if someone has to go looking for him… Ugh. Why does it have to always be me who’s forced to be understanding and kind to him?

“I’m sure he just needs some time to gather his thoughts,” Xingchen butts in. Sure, her tone is patient and all, but still. “He _has_ been gone a while, however...”

“Is that even surprising at all?” Dell scoffs, a bitter hint in his voice. Yeah, Gakupo isn’t the only one reacting badly to this. In fact, Dell argued with Xingchen the most during that whole explanation thing. He gave in eventually, with a little persuasion from Neru, but it seems he still isn’t entirely convinced.

“I’m just saying, we’re all supposed to work through this together,” the girl tuts, her impatience becoming a tiny bit more noticeable.

“Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t bring myself to work with people who have done nothing but fuck us over since they set foot into our school,” Dell retorts, with a twitch of a sneer.

“Oh, no...” Rin whimpers, bracing herself for the inevitable.

“I thought we agreed to move past that,” Merli huffs, although it comes out much more defensive than she probably intends.

“No, _you_ tried to make us forget all about it.” He fires back at each reasonable response, blinded by anger and confusion.

“Ugh,” I sigh under my breath. This could be a good time to slip out and go looking for Gakupo.

“Ya know, we reaaaally should cool it with the arguing until we find a way outta here.” Neru’s voice of reason causes the argument to pause for a grand total of one or two seconds, as both sides process what she just said.

Blinking a few times, Dell looks at her, as if contemplating whether to listen to her or keeping firing off. C’mon, man, be reasonable and knock it off… “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them!”

Great. Just great. Now he’s pointing fingers.

“Ah…!” Una is the most offended, letting out a squeak of a gasp. Her poor, tired eyes sparkle in the most heartbreaking way. I kinda feel bad for her. “It… it wasn’t our fault, we didn’t want any of this…!”

“Geez, you sure are an asshole, aren’t you?” Aoki growls, immediately jumping to defend the sensitive girl. She glares right at Dell, and I know for a fact I’d be intimidated if met with that. Then again, the last time I confronted the girls, just as Dell is now, I had a raging ego. I doubt it’ll even faze him.

“Give it a rest already!” Neru snaps, as if doing a complete one-eighty, tired of playing neutral already. So, she resorts to what she knows best… Yelling louder than everyone else to get her own way.

Screw this. Maybe Gumi will want to come along and look for Gakupo with me. Flicking my glance over to her, I see that her eyelids have drooped closed, and she appears to be out cold. Huh. That sure is impressive. At least this time, she’s probably only sleeping, not fully unconscious.

“Um… Kaito-kun… This is a disaster,” Miku pouts. Tell me about it. “How on earth are we going to get through this?”

“With great difficulty,” I snort, trying to lighten the mood a bit. “Heh… Sorry, Mi-chan. I wish I knew. I think we have to try and band together for a start, though.”

Miku cracks a light smile, although it’s clear she’s trying to hide her worry. “We need to find Gakupo-san, don’t we?”

“Yeah,” I sigh, with a nod. “You should keep Rin-san company, though...” Seeing everyone freaking out and bickering must be hard for her. She needs that sense of solidarity more than any of us right now. I tilt my head the Kagamine girl’s way with a subtle gesture.

“Are you sure? You shouldn’t go searching a place like this all alone,” Miku says, taking on a concerned tone. “The building could be unstable, or...”

“Don’t worry, Mi-chan.” I reassure her with a soft kiss to the forehead. I’ve warmed up enough in here, I should be good to head out. Miku wraps her arms around me for a brief moment, releasing a heavy sigh.

“Don’t take too long, please,” come her muffled words. She’s pressing her head against my chest, putting all her affection into that sweet embrace. It makes me feel a little more at ease, but it’ll be hard to get back to normal for a while yet.

I offer her the bravest grin I can muster. She pulls away a moment later, a light dusting of adorable pink spread across her cheeks. I guess I have a reason to try and pull through… I can’t let Miku down.

…

The soft echoing of footsteps following me is kind of unsettling. Of course, it’s only my own feet tapping off the marble floor beneath me, but the way it bounces off the walls just hits different. It doesn’t help that the once bright halls are now being slowly wrapped in darkness. I can’t begin to imagine how many people must’ve lived here, long ago. The halls would’ve been bustling with servants at this time of day, surely.

“Tch...” I stuff my hands into my pockets, stopping in my tracks at the bottom of the stairs. So, that’s the entire first floor cleared, and no sign of that purple-headed, selfish jerk. Just when I think I understand him, he’s gone and pulled a stunt like this. Disappeared into thin air while everyone else is worried sick. He has to be somewhere on the ground floor. I don’t even want to think about how many floors this palace has, never mind aimlessly searching them all. I mean, sure, it’s nice to clear my head and try to make sense of this utter mess, but in the end, I’m left more pissed off than before.

I turn my head from left to right, recognising the outside of what I think is the dining hall. I really don’t think Gakupo’s stopped for a bite to eat. That just leaves another mysterious set of doors to the right. Curiosity compels me to start moving from the bottom of the staircase. This whole time, walking through the palace alone, I’ve had a strange sense of familiarity constantly nagging at the back of my mind. I’ve tried to push it aside, but the closer I come to those doors, my heart starts beating in my chest a little faster.

“This is… just a normal feeling, right…?” I mutter, thinking out loud without realising. My mouth has gone dry. I hope we can find a way to get some water or something soon… We should sort it out once we re-group. I reach out to the glittering golden door handle. Naturally, it’s icy cold to the touch; I recoil my hand back with a sharp gasp. “Mmh… I totally forgot about that...” Grimacing slightly, I prepare myself this time, and grab the handle with just a few fingers rather than going all in.

Pulling the door open reveals such a magnificent sight – something I’ve never seen in all my life. I’m greeted by the gentle mix of orange and reddish pink, reflecting off fine gold chandeliers with a sparkle, and trailing up the walls from the back of a luxurious ballroom. The colours aren’t as vibrant as a usual sunset back at home; there’s a certain soft dull hint to the way it fills the room, leaving me speechless. Two cloth-covered dining tables stretch out at least half the length of the hall near the back. This must be where they had their parties and delicious dinners.

“This… has to be a dream...” I mutter, slowly scanning my eyes over the area. It’s as though it’s been… frozen in time or something. Given what Xingchen told us, it makes sense, but it’s still a lot to wrap my head around. I begin to make my way through the hall, tilting my head back to take in the full view. Holy expensive. There’s gold everywhere. Each little thing I come across in here only further confirms everything those four girls said. It’s… almost too much to handle.

It takes a short while, but I make it to the back of the glorious ballroom. As I come closer, I catch sight of some simple glass doors in between elegantly decorated windows, which appear to lead to some sort of outdoor area. The view of outside from in here is a little blurred; they’re kind of fogged up, perhaps from the many years of relentless ice and snow. When I grip the metal handle, I have to yank at it with quite a bit of force before it even begins to budge open. Locked firmly in place with an icy suction, it swooshes open after a bit of tugging, throwing me back a few steps with it.

Once open, my first instinct is to squint my eyes, a blast of that bitter air from earlier coming right for me. Not to mention that dull sunset being a lot more vibrant on the outside. I had gotten so used to the gentle lighting down in the library, and all that toasty warmth… It’s an unpleasant shock for the first few seconds, and I'm still gripping helplessly onto the metal door handle.

Adjusting the best I can to the still unfamiliar conditions, I take a step out into the open. The outdoor area sure isn’t as beautiful as it must’ve been long ago. It’s a husk of its former self, the decent stretch of ground overtaken by, you guessed it, more ice. It doesn’t seem to be so thick and slippery here; when I cross over onto the path, I find I have a more steady footing. Staring down at my feet, just to be sure I know exactly where I am at all times, I finally pull myself together and gather the courage to scan my eyes across that gorgeous sky.

Eh, being trapped here is definitely awful and all, but… Can’t deny that sight. The glimmer of mostly orange reflecting off the icy ground isn’t as blinding as I anticipate. Scanning from left to right, I eventually catch sight of someone to the far right of the outdoor area, hunched over and leaning against the stone balustrade surrounding the perimeter.

“Ah...” A small wave of relief washes over me at the sight of that familiar purple hair draping down his back, strands being blown about by the bursts of wind. Of course, relief is only a temporary state. Upon setting my eyes on his back, I’m immediately reminded of the way he childishly stormed out some time ago, and I grow irritated. The worst part is I’m not sure whose behalf I’m irritated on – the others’, or my own. Still, gotta play it cool, right? “Gakupo.”

As I call his name out, his head rises up slightly. However, he doesn’t even bother to look over his shoulder or anything. So, he definitely heard me, but… He’s choosing not to look.

With a light huff, I brace myself for the awkwardness. I waltz on over to him. There’s not much distance between us really, so it just takes a few moments for me to be near enough him. I stop a couple paces behind him. “Hey. What’s with you?”

“Whose bright idea was it to send you to rescue me, Kaito-san?” Gakupo starts with the attitude almost straight away, and at that point, I contemplate just leaving him here to freeze. He doesn’t take his eyes off the sparkling sea of ice ahead.

Tutting under my breath, I take a couple more steps forward, propping my elbows up onto the balustrade and pressing my cheeks into my palms. “Well, let’s see,” I start, with a roll of my eyes. “Dell-kun and Neru-chan are fighting with Xingchen and the other girls. Gumi-san fell asleep again. Oh, and Mi-chan is looking after Rin-san, so guess what that means.” Listing off every member of our group, I make the remaining candidate painfully obvious.

Gakupo lets out a low chuckle, a dry, humourless one at that. He straightens his back out, lowering his elbows and instead just resting his arms there all casually. “You couldn’t have waited five more minutes, huh?”

“Yeah, ‘cause I’m totally a mind reader and can predict when you’d be gracing us with your presence again,” I respond, with a sort of snort. I can’t believe his arrogance. Are we really still bickering after all this? And here I thought I should be nice to the poor, pampered Mahogany boy. Without giving him a chance to keep running his mouth, I continue, “What’s your deal, seriously?”

“I should be asking you the same thing,” he says, lowering his glance. His fingertips are slightly reddened. I wonder how long this idiot has been out in the freezing cold. “I don’t understand how you’re so calm. She just told us we’re responsible for saving an entire planet against a dangerous threat. That isn’t exactly normal.” With the hint of apathy to his voice, I get the feeling he’s drawn out all the shock and anger prior to me being here, and he’s left with just exhaustion.

Then again, I suppose he and I aren’t so different after all. “Trust me, I’m not calm...” I softly laugh. But so much shit has happened lately, I’ve just learned to go with the flow. I can only hope we do a good job with our new responsibilities. “But there’s no point in stressing over it alone.”

“It’s… not just that...” When I flick my glance over at him, raising a brow, I see that he’s already averted his eyes. Is he… avoiding eye contact with me? The hesitance in those words kind of unsettles me. If he’s going to be all shy and sincere again, I won’t be able to handle it. “Aoki-san thinks she detected dark energy during the Talent Trials, right…?”

“ _You see, these necklaces of ours… the gems are able to trace small bursts of recent energy...” Aoki pointed down to the_ _plain-looking ruby gem hanging from her necklace. “But any energy trails we find around the school are most likely not being used for good, unfortunately.”_

That’s right. Just like that voice from the library at school… It seems like it happened forever ago compared to where we are now, but she told us the truth before we even got here. Those gems are able to detect magic… Somehow… It’s absurd to think too hard about. “Yeah,” I say, with a nod. I stand up straight, back starting to ache a little already. “And Merli...”

_She tapped at the leaf-shaped ruby with the tip of her finger; it swayed slightly. “Some of you haven’t exactly been acting like yourselves, have you?” Her ocean blue eyes landed on Neru for a start._

_The tomboy puffed out her cheeks, knowing she’d been called out on her rude behaviour with just one glance._ _I was beyond relieved that she had chilled out. “I… I don’t know what was wrong with me, dude…” Dell patted at her shoulder, with a weak yet reassuring grin._

_A sympathetic frown pulled at Merli’s features. She spoke with care._ _“_ _Well, with what little information we’ve managed to piece together about dark magic, we can conclude there may have been mind control at work.”_

“Mind control, huh…?” I mutter, at the thought. I slowly shake my head. It certainly explains a lot of the drastic shifts in everyone’s personalities… But some part of their nasty feelings must’ve been in there to begin with. I really don’t want to hold it against Neru and Dell, even my sweet Miku… However... Ugh.

“I wanted to find a chance to speak to you privately, and to tell you the truth...” Gakupo finally turns his head to the side, locking our eyes, which throws me off a bit. There’s a spark of confidence reflecting in those orbs of his, and it’s certainly admirable, but a troubled pout seems to be pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Looks like I have to go ahead with it now rather than later, though.”

“Wh...what is it…?” I blink a few times, trying my hardest not to stare directly into his eyes, but also trying not to come off as ignorant and looking elsewhere. What’s the appropriate eye contact to looking away ratio in this situation, damn it? Uhh…!

“I think I fell under the influence of this mind control,” Gakupo mumbles, dropping his stern gaze for a moment. “I’m not sure how… Maybe I got caught up in the range or something.”

“Huh… You weren’t really acting any differently though, were you?” I ask, slightly confused. Sure, I don’t really know the guy, but it’s not like his personality switched too dramatically during the trials.

He lets his eyes slip shut, fist lightly clenched at his side. “Kaito-san, I… I’m so sorry...”

Woah. A genuine apology. This is like… next level. I know he’s been nicer to me as of lately, but he’s exposing such a delicate side to himself right now. Those raw emotions cause my heart to beat a little harder in my chest. A particularly strong blast of icy air hits me right in the face, darkening and stinging at my already reddened cheeks.

He inhales a shaky breath. His entire body has started to tremble. This can’t be good… Maybe I should suggest we go inside before continuing. But before I can even open my mouth, he’s staring right back into my eyes, cutting me short of speaking. “I think I was involved in taking your ideas for the trials… and also framing you as the one who cheated.”

…


End file.
